Darjeeling polls: Parties stir bitter brew of tourism, tea & tap water

Political observers believe that memories of the 2017 statehood agitation by GJM, which was crushed by West Bengal's TMC, will play a part in the upcoming election

Pandemic and social distancing forgotten, a huge crowd gathers in Siliguri, waiting to catch sight of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as his helicopter lands. Among them is Rinchen Lama, a housewife who has travelled two hours from Kurseong. “It is so exciting to see all these VIPs,” she says, adding, “Last week, Smriti Irani came to our locality. Rumour has it that Amit Shah will also come soon.”

As state polls approach on April 17, neighbouring Assembly constituencies — Darjeeling and Kurseong —have also witnessed high octane rallies by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and allies Gorkha National Liberation Front and