Narbula gets Cong hill ticket

Narbula gets Cong hill ticket
VIVEK CHHETRI – The Telegraph

Darjeeling, March 21: Congress MP Dawa Narbula was given the party ticket for the Darjeeling seat late tonight.

Narbula’s candidature was no surprise, but he is yet to get the final word of support from the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, which is not fighting the elections but whose writ runs in the hills.

Last time, Narbula had managed to get the support of all Opposition parties in the hills and also the Gorkha National Liberation Front.

But the space occupied by the GNLF has been taken over by the Morcha, which had shown an inclination to support the BJP because the party reportedly promised to include the Gorkhaland demand in its manifesto.

Morcha chief Bimal Gurung, however, said the final decision had not been taken.

Gurung will leave for Delhi with four of his central committee leaders tomorrow. He is expected to meet Congress leaders.

“Since I have been given the party ticket we will try to get support from all quarters,” Narbula said today.

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I am getting old, this could be my last election: Pranab

Jangipur: External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who is contesting the polls from Jangipur Lok Sabha constituency here, has said this could be his last election as he was getting old. “I am getting old. May be this is the last election, I am contesting. You will judge me on the basis of my work,” the 74-year-old senior Congress leader said, while electioneering in his constituency on Thursday.

Apparently moved by his words, a Congress worker caught hold of Mr. Mukherjee’s hands as he was getting down from the rostrum and started weeping.

Mr. Mukherjee, who travelled extensively in the Suti assembly segment on Thursday drove through the dusty roads of the villages of Lalgola today in an open jeep with hundreds of villagers lining up to have a glimpse of him. Some threw flower petals on him. (Agencies)