Lok Sabha polls: Will Bengal's sagging tea industry brew a new flavour?

Darjeeling goes to vote on April 26 in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections alongside Balurghat and Raiganj. All three in North Bengal are BJP seats

The alpona (artwork) on the steep, winding road leading to Makaibari, one of the most fabled tea gardens in Darjeeling district, bears testimony to the visit of G-20 delegates for the second tourism working group meeting in April last year.

The lush tea bushes, the delegates joining in for the moonlight plucking of Silver Tips Imperial first flush, a favourite of late Queen Elizabeth II, cut a picture of mystical magic.

But it’s not the Kurseong tea garden’s only shining moment — the last few years have been busy for the estate and its bungalow.

“It’s always full,” says Sanjay