GTA meeting fails to select CEO as only 2 members participated

The election of a new CEO of Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA) could not take place today as only two members turned up for a meeting convened in this regard.
However, no reason was given by the GTA for the absence of its members.
R D Meena, principal secretary of the administrative body in Darjeeling hills, said they cannot have elections as around 10 of their 45 members are in jail.
Meena said they are sending a memorandum signed by 28 GTA members to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in this regard.
The two GTA members who attended the meeting are GTA chairman Pradip Pradhan and his deputy Lopsang Yolmo.

When asked, Meena said the next meeting of GTA would be decided by the state government.

The CEO's post left vacant after Bimal Gurung resigned last month to put pressure on Mamata Banerjee government to claim GTA's demand for separate statehood, after the Centre cleared the decks for Telengana as a state.
At present, the hilly people are on a self-imposed strike as they are keeping themselves indoor following a dictate by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM).
After the Centre promised to convene a tripartite meeting soon involving the West Bengal government and GJAC to discuss the statehood demand, Gurung yesterday said Gorkhaland Joint Action Committee would meet soon to discuss whether to withdraw their indefinite agitation.