Kolkata, 1 August (H.S.) -In a politically significant development, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) leaders Bimal Gurung and Roshan Giri met with West Bengal’s Leader of Opposition and senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari at Nizam Palace in Kolkata on Thursday night. The closed-door meeting reportedly lasted for an extended period, although no official statement has yet been released by either side regarding the details of the discussion.

Sources within the BJP suggest that the meeting may have focused on potential seat-sharing arrangements ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections. The timing of this meeting is seen as crucial, especially considering Gurung’s appearance at Suvendu Adhikari’s rally in Alipurduar prior to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where his presence sparked widespread political speculation. At the time, Gurung had remarked, “Everything is possible in politics.”

Bimal Gurung, once a dominant political figure in the Darjeeling hills, went underground following unrest in the region in 2017. He re-emerged publicly on October 31, 2020, in Kolkata, signaling a political shift by praising Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and expressing support for the Trinamool Congress (TMC) ahead of the 2021 Assembly polls.

With the 2026 Assembly elections drawing closer and the BJP’s relations with its current MLA from Kurseong reportedly strained, the recent meeting between Adhikari and the GJM leaders has fueled fresh speculation about a possible realignment in the hills.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh