Siliguri, June 7 -- An old question is once again echoing across the hills of Darjeeling: "Will the road to Gorkhaland finally open now?"

For more than four decades, that question has surfaced repeatedly, often during moments of major political change. The demand for a separate Gorkhaland state has witnessed waves of agitation, periods of negotiation and the creation of successive autonomous administrative bodies. Yet the central objective of statehood has remained unfulfilled.

Today, the issue has returned to the forefront following a dramatic political shift in West Bengal.

On May 9, 2026, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured an outright majority and formed a government in West Bengal for the first time, bringing an end to the 15...