Trinamool Congress candidate and former India football captain Bhaichung Bhutia trailed BJP's S.S. Ahluwalia in West Bengal's Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat Friday, officials said.
Bhutia is trailing by 18,000 votes.
The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), which is demanding a separate statehood for Darjeeling Hills, supports the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate. Ahluwalia has promised a separate Gorkhaland state.
