Darjeeling MP Raju Bista takes his oath for second consecutive term

Darjeeling Member of Parliament Raju Bista has been sworn in for a second consecutive term, solidifying his mandate as the elected representative for the Darjeeling parliamentary seat in West Bengal. Bista's re-election comes amidst a closely contested triangular competition between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Trinamool Congress (TMC), and the Indian National Congress (INC) in the General category seat, encompassing a population of 22.01 lakh.

The constituency, comprising seven Legislative Assembly segments—Kalimpong, Darjeeling, Kurseong, Matigara-Naxalbari, Siliguri, Phansidewa, and Chopra—remains pivotal, with issues such as the demand for Gorkhaland statehood and the welfare of tea garden workers shaping the electoral discourse.

Earlier this week, on June 22, MP Raju Bista submitted a comprehensive report to Union Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Manohar Lal Khattar. The report highlighted concerns regarding extensive corruption in projects under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) scheme across multiple municipalities in North Bengal.

Bista specifically raised alarms about potential obstacles in inspecting the structural stability and load-bearing capacity of 23 steel water storage tanks currently under construction in the Darjeeling municipality under the AMRUT program.