Mamata Banerjee's TMC resumes seat-sharing talks with Congress for Lok Sabha polls: Reports
New Delhi/Kolkata/IBNS: In a U-turn from its previous stance, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC) has resumed seat-sharing talks with Congress for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, media reports said.
As per reports, TMC is ready to give up seats to Congress in West Bengal, Meghalaya and Assam.
However, TMC's offer for Congress has remained the same.
As per reports, Mamata is not ready to give more than two seats to Congress, which has been out of power from the Centre for 10 years now.
The TMC had offered two seats in North Bengal to Congress, which won the same number in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and drew a blank in 2021 assembly elections.
In Assam and Meghalaya, TMC is likely to give one seat each to Congress.
The development comes weeks after Mamata said her party will contest all 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state alone.
Mamata, who was visibly angry with Congress, had said, "I had no talk with anyone. My proposal for seat-sharing was turned down by them on the first day. We have already decided to go solo in the elections in Bengal. We will decide about a national approach after the elections."
Mamata had claimed Congress MP Rahul Gandhi did not inform her about Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra will pass through the state.
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee says "I had no discussions with the Congress party. I have always said that in Bengal, we will fight alone. I am not concerned about what will be done in the country but we are a secular party and in Bengal, we will alone defeat BJP. I am a part of… pic.twitter.com/VK2HH3arJI
— ANI (@ANI) January 24, 2024
"I am a part of the INDIA alliance but I haven't been even informed that the rally is passing through our state," said the TMC supremo.
Despite Mamata's announcement, Rahul maintained he had good terms with the TMC chief who was still in the INDIA bloc, the alliance against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP.
The alliance talks resumed just when West Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury made scathing attacks on Mamata over the pot-boiling Sandeshkhali incident, where several villagers have accused absconding TMC strongman Sheikh Shahjahan and his aides of allegedly grabbing lands and sexually abusing women.
In the 2019 General Elections, Mamata's TMC had received a jolt as her tally of seats went down to 22 of 42 seats while BJP won 18, the highest ever figure it recorded in the state.
But it is important to note, Mamata stormed back to power a couple of years later with over 200 of 294 seats and winning subsequent byelections in the state over the last two-three years.