BJP replaces Union Minister SS Ahluwalia with Raju Singh Bisht in Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat

The Bhartiya Janata Party on Sunday fielded Raju Singh Bisht from Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat, replacing sitting MP and Union minister SS Ahluwalia. "Raju Singh Bisht to contest from Darjeeling Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal. SS Ahluwalia in a letter to Amit Shah has expressed his inability to contest from Darjeeling. He has stated that he can contest from any other seat in West Bengal," BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya was quoted as saying by ANI.

Ahluwalia, the Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, was elected from this seat in 2014 with the active support of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) in May 2014. 

BJP Gen Secy Kailash Vijayvargiya: Raju Singh Bisht to contest from Darjeeling Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal. SS Ahluwalia in a letter to Amit Shah has expressed his inability to contest from Darjeeling. He has stated that he can contest from any other seat in West Bengal pic.twitter.com/IgpB7FM3uF

— ANI (@ANI) March 24, 2019

Vijayvargiya, who is in-charge of the saffron party's affairs in West Bengal, said that the two Gorkha groups have extended their support to the BJP candidate from Darjeeling. The outfits which have extended support are Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and Gorkha National Liberation Front. 

"Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and Gorkha National Liberation Front to support BJP in Darjeeling in upcoming Lok Sabha elections," Vijayvargiya said.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has managed to win over a section of the Gorkha leadership and has been making a determined bid to wrest the hilly seat from the BJP. The BJP has been winning the seat with support from these Gorkha parties.

Its leader Jaswant Singh had won from there in 2009 and Ahluwalia in 2014.