Amid heavy rumours that Bimal Gurung is planning to return to Darjeeling soon to prepare for the next year’s Assembly Elections, his close aide Roshan Giri will visit the hills on Saturday to gauge the situation on ground.

Ever since Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) founder Gurung made a dramatic public appearance and joined hands with Mamata Banerjee’s TMC, after spending more than three years on run, anti-Gurung faction leaders Binay Tamang and Anit Thapa have made their dissatisfaction public

As per a report by Bengali daily Sangbad Pratidin, Giri will travel to Kurseong after landing at the Bagdogra Airport. He is scheduled to hold a public rally there on Sunday to understand public mood ahead of Gurung’s return to the hills after more than three years.

Bishal Chetri, known as a leader in Gurung’s faction, informed on Friday that the GJM founder would attend a public rally in Siliguri’s Baghajatin Park, reported the same daily. The date of the event, though, hasn’t yet been finalised.

After Gurung decided to come out in the open, speculations had heated up about the next political equation in the hills. It was believed that the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee might call for a truce between Gurung and Tamang.

Gurung, 56, was leading a part of the GJM which revolted against the state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Meanwhile, another faction of the same party, led by Tamang and Thapa, continued to remain an ally of the ruling TMC.

His relationship with Bengal had administration begun to riffle when it did not pay any heed to GJM’s demand of creating a separate Gorkhaland state.

Gurung was charged with several sections under the Unlawful Activities and Prevention Act (UAPA) after he had eloped. A cat and mouse race to arrest the GJM leader had resulted in the killing of several police officers.

For three years, he was believed to be under the protection of BJP, who in turn got his help to electoral dividends in Darjeeling.

Gurung shocked everyone by emerging in Kolkata during Durga Pujo earlier this month. Not only he joined hands with TMC but launched a scathing attack against BJP. He said that Darjeeling did not get anything despite supporting BJP in the Parliamentary polls for the last 12 years.