Darjeeling, 16 May: BJP national vice president Surinder
Singh Ahluwalia Friday won the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat in northern West
Bengal, humbling former Indian soccer captain Bhaichung Bhutia of the Trinamool
Congress by 1,96,795 votes.
The Bharatiya Janata Party candidate, who had the backing of
the dominant party Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), secured 4,87,564 votes, while
Bhaichung had to be satisfied with 2,90,769.
Communist Party of India-Marxist aspirant Saman Pathak
finished third, garnering 1,67,069 votes. BJP retained the seat. In 2009,
Jaswant Singh was elected from the constituency.
