Kurseong, 14th June: The submission of nomination papers for the upcoming panchayat elections is now in full swing. After a slow start, the pace has picked up as candidates vie for positions in the local governance system. The Kurseong Block Development Office (BDO) witnessed an increase in submissions, with Tuesday seeing a significant surge in nominations.
The submission of nomination papers began on June 9, but the first two days saw no nominations at the Kurseong BDO office. On June 12, only four independent candidates submitted their nomination papers. However, on the fourth day of nominations, which was this Tuesday, a remarkable 112 individuals submitted their nominations for Panchayat member positions, while 15 individuals submitted nominations for the Panchayat Committee.
Out of the 112 Panchayat member nominations received on Tuesday, 88 were members of the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM), while 24 were independent candidates. Additionally, all 15 members of the BGPM submitted their nomination papers for the Panchayat Committee.
Thus far, a total of 116 individuals have submitted nomination papers for the Panchayat member positions, with 15 individuals vying for the Panchayat Committee in the 14 Gram Panchayats under Kurseong Division. The BJP, coalition parties, BGPM candidates, and independent candidates are scheduled to submit their nomination papers for the panchayat polls on Wednesday.
It is noteworthy that after nearly 23 years, two-tier panchayat elections will be held in two districts of the Darjeeling GTA area on July 8. Simultaneously, three-tier elections will take place in all other 20 districts of the state.