He can now use his immense contacts at the national level for furthering our cause,' Harka Bahadur Chhetri, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) central committee member and publicity secretary, told IANS.

Chhetri said the BJP cannot backtrack on its stand of supporting the creation of Gorkhaland as the issue figured in the party's election manifesto.

'We supported Jaswant Singh only because the BJP nominated him. If the BJP had named any other candidate we would have gone all out to ensure his victory also. So, our relations with the BJP will also not be affected,' he said.

The GJM, spearheading the demand for a Gorkhaland out of Darjeeling and some adjacent areas in West Bengal, ensured Jaswant Singh's victory from Darjeeling in the general elections this April-May.

GJM leaders said they were happy with the progress of the recent third round of tri-partite talks in Delhi.

'The result of this round of tri-partite talks is positive. We will continue our negotiations with the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the centre,' Chhetri said.