Harsh Vardhan Shringla's Outreach Sparks Speculation on BJP Candidature in Darjeeling

Former foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, who was a major factor in India's G20 presidency success, is creating waves in the Darjeeling hills with his multifaceted outreach initiatives, which have heightened rumors about his candidacy as the BJP's regional nominee for the Lok Sabha election.

The BJP has not yet revealed their candidate for the Darjeeling seat, despite having won the seat three times in a succession since 2009.

"The BJP prevailed in the previous election with a margin of over 4 lakh votes from Darjeeling. However, there has been a lot of interest in the nominee due to their tardiness in revealing the identity of the Darjeeling candidate. Include Shringla's outreach as well. As one could expect, all eyes are focused on the potential BJP candidate from Darjeeling, remarked a political analyst.

Shringla, a Darjeeling native, is widely considered a front-runner for the seat even though he hasn't officially declared his interest in it or joined the BJP. The rumours surrounding his name have intensified due to the buzz that he was one of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's most trusted officers in the ministry of external affairs.

"The Shringla issue may possibly be the reason for the delay in revealing the name for the Darjeeling seat. Shringla hasn't joined the BJP, but his deeds speak louder than words, according to a Darjeeling-based BJP activist.

Shringla has worked on important diplomatic issues as foreign secretary, including the aftermath of the Covid pandemic, the India-China border disputes in Ladakh, the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the military takeover in Myanmar. Shringla placed 15th in the UPSC's All India Civil Service Examination in 1984.

The majority of the diplomat's career has been spent engaging with senior administrators worldwide; until recently, he also served as India's lead coordinator for the G20 presidency. He is now making time for the grassroots in an effort to "give back to his people."

His actions are not limited to big cities like Siliguri and Darjeeling. He was recently observed interacting with residents of the somewhat isolated Ambari Lodhabari village near Chopra, according to a source.

Shringla is getting along well with all groups and interacting with politicians, religious leaders, and members of civil society.

Shringla was recently observed conducting cleanliness campaigns at the Siliguri district hospital's Kali Mandir.

The economic revitalization of tea garden laborers is one of Shringla's primary initiatives. "A source stated that Shringla, the president of the Darjeeling Welfare Society (DWS), has partnered with the Gates Foundation to establish employment prospects for tea garden laborers in the Darjeeling district."

Shringla is devoting his efforts to this project as well, which is having a big influence on the area.

According to a source, "the DWS team recently facilitated the launch of a farm kit distribution and trainee appreciation ceremony at the Sai Community Hall in Chenga busty and the Birsa Munda Maidan in Panighata, respectively."

Shringla has begun work to cover more than 20,000 families in the Darjeeling hills and has laid the groundwork for philanthropic support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

According to a source, "the goal is to develop alternative livelihood plans for families of tea workers, particularly in closed tea gardens."

The interaction between the former career diplomat and young people has an impact.

A career fair was recently held in Darjeeling by Shringla's Darjeeling Welfare Society (DWS), where 270 young people from the area received job offers.

This publication sent Shringla messages and calls, but she didn't return them.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Press Time staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.