Greater Cooch Behar Democratic Party
Encyclopedia
The Greater Cooch Behar Democratic Party is a political party
in the northern areas of West Bengal
, India
. The party strives to create a separate 'Greater Cooch Behar' state. The GCBDP was founded in 2006, after a split in the Greater Cooch Behar People's Association (GCPA). Ashutosh Barma is the president of the party. Bangshibadan Barman, the erstwhile jailed general secretary of the GCPA, sided with the GCBDP in the split and became a member of the new party.
The GCBDP cooperates with the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha
and the Kamtapur Progressive Party
, which strive for the creation of Gorkhaland
and Kamtapur
states respectively. The alliance between the three parties was made public in March 2008. The three parties have potentially overlapping territorial claims for their respective prospective states, but decided to leave those issues at side when initiating cooperation between the organisations.
In June 2008, the GCBDP organised a fast-unto-death hunger strike
, demanding the release of Bangshibadan Barman and 55 other followers of the party (who had been arrested at a 2005 GCPA meeting). The fast was however called off by the party on June 9, 2008, after talks with senior administration officials.
In the 2009 Lok Sabha election
, the GCBDP launched Bangshibadan Barman as its candidate in the Cooch Behar constituency
. Barman became the first undertrial prisoner to file his nomination papers for a parliamentary election in West Bengal. In the end, Barman obtained 37,226 votes (3.3% of the votes in the constituency).
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in the northern areas of West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The party strives to create a separate 'Greater Cooch Behar' state. The GCBDP was founded in 2006, after a split in the Greater Cooch Behar People's Association (GCPA). Ashutosh Barma is the president of the party. Bangshibadan Barman, the erstwhile jailed general secretary of the GCPA, sided with the GCBDP in the split and became a member of the new party.
The GCBDP cooperates with the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha
Gorkha Janmukti Morcha
Gorkha Janmukti Morcha is a registered political party which campaigns for the creation of a separate state within India, out of districts in the north of West Bengal...
and the Kamtapur Progressive Party
Kamtapur Progressive Party
Kamtapur Progressive Party was a political party in northern West Bengal, India. Atul Roy was the president of the party. The party was formed after a split from the Kamtapur People's Party, ahead of the 2006 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election. The party demanded the formation of a Kamtapur...
, which strive for the creation of Gorkhaland
Gorkhaland
Gorkhaland is the name of the proposed state in India demanded by the Nepali/Gorkhali-speaking Nepali/Gorkha ethnic group in Darjeeling and the Dooars in north West Bengal....
and Kamtapur
Kamtapur
Kamtapur is the name of a state proposed in north West Bengal and Assam by the Rajbongshi people. The proposed state comprises some districts of West Bengal and other contiguous districts of Assam. This statehood demand is mostly led by Kamtapur People's Party....
states respectively. The alliance between the three parties was made public in March 2008. The three parties have potentially overlapping territorial claims for their respective prospective states, but decided to leave those issues at side when initiating cooperation between the organisations.
In June 2008, the GCBDP organised a fast-unto-death hunger strike
Hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance or pressure in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most hunger strikers will take liquids but not...
, demanding the release of Bangshibadan Barman and 55 other followers of the party (who had been arrested at a 2005 GCPA meeting). The fast was however called off by the party on June 9, 2008, after talks with senior administration officials.
In the 2009 Lok Sabha election
Indian general election, 2009
India held general elections to the 15th Lok Sabha in five phases between 16 April 2009 and 13 May 2009. With an electorate of 714 million , it was the largest democratic election in the world to date.By constitutional requirement, elections to the Lok Sabha must be...
, the GCBDP launched Bangshibadan Barman as its candidate in the Cooch Behar constituency
Cooch Behar (Lok Sabha constituency)
Cooch Behar is one of the 543 parliamentary constituencies in India. The constituency centres on Cooch Behar in West Bengal. The seat is reserved for scheduled castes.-Assembly segments:...
. Barman became the first undertrial prisoner to file his nomination papers for a parliamentary election in West Bengal. In the end, Barman obtained 37,226 votes (3.3% of the votes in the constituency).