At a rally in Kurseong, Union Home Minister Amit Shah made a strong political pitch to the hills of north Bengal - promising a solution to the long-pending Gorkha issue within six months if the BJP forms the government in West Bengal.

“Within six months of theBJP forming the governmentin West Bengal, every Gorkha will have a smile on his face. We will find such a solution to the Gorkha issue that Gorkhas can live in peace,” Shah said.

But what exactly is the Gorkha issue, and why does Darjeeling matter so much politically?

At its core, theGorkha issueis a demand for a separate state -Gorkhaland- carved out of northern parts of West Bengal, especially the Darjeeling hills.

The demand comes from the Gorkhas, a Nepali-speaking Indian community that has lived in the region for generations. Many Gorkhas feel politically and culturally distinct from the Bengali-speaking plains and argue that a separate state would better protect their identity, language, and economic interests.

The movement is not new - it dates back over a century but became most prominent in the 1980s under Subhash Ghising, whose party led a violent agitation. Later, leaders like Bimal Gurung revived the demand through fresh protests that periodically shut down the hills.

Despite multiple agreements and semi-autonomous administrative bodies, the core demand for statehood has never been fully resolved.

The Darjeeling hills are small in size but politically very influential. The BJP has won the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat in every election since 2009. Hill-based parties often decide which national party gets support.

Voting patterns here can signal broader political sentiment in north Bengal. For the BJP, Darjeeling is both a symbolic stronghold and a strategic gateway to expand in West Bengal.

In the upcoming elections, the TMC has formed an alliance with Anit Thapa’s party, the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM). This party was formed after breaking away from Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), which was earlier led by Bimal Gurung.

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