Anit Thapa resigns as CEO of GTA

Anit Thapa, Chief Executive Officer, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration. File. | Photo credit: DEBASISH BHADURI

Anit Thapa, Director General of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), resigned from his post on Wednesday (June 17, 2026).

The GTA, a regional autonomous body created as a tripartite agreement between the Centre, the state and the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha in 2011, has been functioning for two decades.

Mr Thapa, whose Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha party was an ally of the Trinamool Congress, urged Chief Minister Suvenda Adhikari to work to fulfill the promises made to the Gorkhas.

Anit Thapa took over as the head of the GTA in 2022 after the regional autonomous body elections. BGPM in alliance with Trinamool Congress won 27 out of 45 seats. He still had a year left in office. Mr Thapa’s resignation comes a day after West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari visited the Darjeeling hills and raised the issue of “corruption” in the GTA.

“Corruption is rampant in the GTA. We will investigate the corruption and send all the thieves to jail,” the chief minister said on Tuesday (June 16, 2026). Mr Thapa welcomed the investigation in the GTA and said negative perceptions of the regional body were anticipated.

“A new government has come to the state. The people of the hills and the state naturally have faith in this government. But this government does not want to attach importance to the GTA formed through tripartite negotiations. I see no reason to cling to office in this situation,” Mr. Thapa said in a video message.

The GTA started functioning from 2011 and replaced Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council which was established in 1988. The administrative domain of GTA mainly consists of various subdivisions and areas of Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts. The GTA has administrative and financial powers over about 59 departments including education, health, agriculture, tourism and public works.

In the 2026 assembly elections, the BJP won all three seats in the Darjeeling hills. The BJP tied up with the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha in the recently concluded rallies. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari acknowledged that the people of Darjeeling hills voted for the BJP in the last two decades and promised development in the hills.

After the BJP came to power in West Bengal in May 2026, the chairmen of several civic bodies, including the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation, resigned, prompting the state government to appoint administrators to run the bodies. These civic bodies were administered by Trinamool Congress-run councils.

Published – 17 Jun 2026 20:43 IST