Lok Sabha 2024: Trinamool to fight alone in Bengal
Trinamool Congress is set to independently vie for all 42 Lok Sabha seats in Bengal, with Mamata Banerjee expressing her determination on Wednesday.
She emphasised that any potential nationwide alliance with the Congress will only be considered post the election results, effectively dashing hopes of an agreement between the two parties, both considered crucial members of the INDIA opposition bloc.
“I had no discussions with the Congress party or anyone else. We had given a proposal which they refused. Since then our party has decided that we will fight alone in Bengal,” she told mediapersons.
The chief minister’s comments followed a statement from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi about ongoing discussions between his party and Trinamool regarding seat-sharing in Bengal. He also highlighted his amicable relations with Mamata Banerjee.
The Congress, on the other hand, seems to be banking on her very much. Party spokesperson Jairam Ramesh asserted Wednesday afternoon, shortly after Banerjee’s statement, that the Congress “cannot envision the absence of Mamata ji in the INDIA bloc”.
Ramesh’s efforts to manage the situation also involved announcing that the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra would bypass Kolkata, but Banerjee expressed dissatisfaction, citing a lack of courtesy from the Congress in informing her about their presence in the state.
In recent weeks, leaders of the Congress and Trinamool Congress in Bengal have engaged in criticising one other. While Trinamool has accused the Congress of unrealistic demands, the latter has asserted that Trinamool depends on it for electoral success.
The Trinamool leadership proposed two seats for the Congress, while the Congress state leadership insisted on six.
Currently, the Congress has two MPs elected from Bengal – Baharampur and Malda Dakshin.
Trinamool had formed an alliance with the Congress in the 2001 assembly elections, 2009 Lok Sabha elections and the 2011 assembly election, the last one resulting in the ousting of the CPI(M)-led Left Front government after 34 years.
