Double blow for TMC as ally BGPM president Anit Thapa quits GTA post, MLA Udayan Guha arrested

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) faced twin setbacks on Wednesday after its electoral ally, Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM) president Anit Thapa, resigned from key positions in the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), while TMC MLA Udayan Guha was arrested in Kolkata.

Thapa announced his resignation as the chief executive of the GTA with immediate effect and also stepped down as a sabhasad of the semi-autonomous body governing the Darjeeling hills.

Taking responsibility for BGPM's poor performance in the recent Assembly elections, Thapa informed party leaders of his decision.

His resignation came a day after West Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari visited the Darjeeling hills and claimed that the region would witness greater development under a BJP government.

The BGPM had secured a majority in the 2022 GTA elections and formed the board of the hill body, making Thapa's resignation a significant political development in the region.

In a separate development, TMC leader and MLA Udayan Guha was arrested from Kolkata's Phoolbagan area, according to reports citing police sources. Authorities have not yet disclosed details of the case or the circumstances leading to his arrest.

The arrest comes weeks after another TMC leader, Jahangir Khan, was taken into custody in connection with the investigation into the 2021 post-poll violence cases.

Khan was recently escorted through parts of South 24 Parganas district as part of the ongoing probe.

The developments have added to the political challenges facing the ruling TMC, with both the resignation of a key ally and the arrest of a party legislator drawing attention across West Bengal.