Bhaichung Bhutia as TMC candidate from Darjeeling constituency filed his nomination at Darjeeling District Magistrate office today.On the other hand Surendrajeet Singh Ahluwalia backed by GJM also filed his Nomination for the 2014 Parliamentary Elections from Darjeeling
SS Ahluwalia, the BJP candidate being backed by the GJM, accompanied by his wife and son, was the first to file his nomination. But Darjeeling district magistrate Puneet Yadav said the papers were wrongly submitted.
TMC candidate Bhaichung Bhutia came later in the afternoon also accompanied by his wife and three children and submitted his nomination papers.
Supporters of the two candidates converged at the DM office with flags along with senior leaders, but each side ensured the other was not impeded. GJM joint assistant secretary Raju Pradhan and central committee leader DK Pradhan accompanied Ahluwalia, while North Bengal Development Department minister Gautam Deb was with Bhaichung.
After filing his papers, the BJP candidate said, “I am aware of the expectations and aspirations of the people. If elected, it will be my moral responsibility to work to fulfill their wishes”.
However, he skirted questions on the statehood demand. “The biggest issue at present is that of development. Let us not jump the gun but wait for our party’s election manifesto. Everything will be clear then,” said Ahluwalia.
When asked to comment on BJP state president Rahul Sinha’s assertion the other day about Bengal not being divided, Ahluwalia said he was not aware of it. “He is the party’s state president. What he has said and why, I don’t know. I hot this information from the media just today,” he claimed.
Bhaichung, on the other hand, expressed confidence of being elected as MP from Darjeeling and attributed his imminent win to the people’s support. “People from both the plains and the hills have given me great response and support. They have now understood it is not money or muscle, but it is them that are the real power. And the people will definitely vote for me,” he said.
The former footballer also said it was because of the TMC that peace and democracy has returned to the hills after a long time. “Our party has brought peace, democracy and development in the hills as they were all neglected. It is because of us that even GNLF chief Subash Ghisingh has been able to return to his home in Darjeeling,” he asserted, adding any party willing to support him is fully welcome.
When asked to lay out his plans in the event of becoming an MP, Bhaichung said, “If elected, I will work for the development of the hills for the next five years. My focus will also be on the youths as they are our future.”
Congress candidate Sujoy Ghatak and SUCI nominee Gautam Bhattacharya also filed their nomination papers today, while CPM’s Saman Pathak and BSP’s Kakuli Majumdar filed theirs on Friday.
Source:EOI
