Kolkata/IBNS: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday dropped a bombshell switching her Trinamool Congress off from the anti-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national alliance, INDIA, in West Bengal, slamming the principal opposition force Congress just months ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

In an outburst of her anger in front of the media, Mamata, who held an administrative meeting in Burdwan on Wednesday, said in clear words, "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 claims Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, who is presently undertaking Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, did not inform her about the rally which is set to pass through the state.

"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.

Though earlier several reports had claimed TMC might offer two seats in North Bengal to Congress, later Mamata had asked her party to prepare for polls even in Congress' stronghold Murshidabad, which was speculated to have been opted out by the state's ruling party.

The announcement came from Mamata just a day after Rahul claimed he and his party share a "good relationship" with the TMC supremo and the seat-sharing talks are underway.

"The seat-sharing talks are on. We will arrive at the result... But myself and my party have a very good relationship with Mamata-ji.

"Yes, at times, some conflicting comments come from either side. These are natural things. These are not the things that are going to disrupt anything," Rahul said. 

Though the Congress top brass' bonhomie with Mamata was visible, the main opposition party's Lok Sabha MP from West Bengal's Baharampur, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, a staunch opponent of TMC chief, was consistent in attacking the state Chief Minister on all fronts.

Even after Rahul highlighted his equation with Mamata was good on Tuesday, Adhir called the TMC head an "opportunist".

Adhir, who is Congress' Lok Sabha floor leader, said the party will not fight in West Bengal at the "mercy of Mamata Banerjee".

Congress hopeful of having Mamata on board

Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh said, "Mamata-ji said she is hellbent to defeat BJP. When we are undertaking long travels, speed breakers, red signals often come. It doesn't mean we will stop the journey. We overcome speed breakers.

"Rahul Gandhi has already made it clear that TMC is an important member of the INDIA alliance. We can't imagine INDIA alliance without Mamata-ji. INDIA alliance will be there in West Bengal and all parties will be a part of it."

Mamata desperate, says BJP

Taking a dig at Mamata's decision and the opposition alliance, BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya posted on X, "Mamata Banerjee’s decision to fight alone in West Bengal is a sign of desperation. Unable to hold her political ground, she wants to fight all seats, in the hope that she can still be relevant, after the polls.

"Much against her desire to emerge as the face of the Opposition alliance, no one ever proposed her name. Her several trips to Delhi, to build a national profile, didn’t work. She just couldn’t hide the blood of post poll violence and rid herself of the nauseating stink of appeasement politics. An embarrassed Mamata, to save face, pitched for Mallikarjun Kharge, ruling herself out in the process. She realised, despite her bluster, she had no currency in the Opposition camp and had been building ground to snap out for long."

"But the fact that her announcement to go solo comes just before Rahul Gandhi’s circus arrives in Bengal, is a death knell for I.N.D.I Alliance…," he added.

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 won most of the subsequent by-elections in the state over the last two-three years.

AAP follows Mamata in Punjab

In a further jolt to the INDIA alliance, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced AAP, which came to power in 2022 thrashing Congress, will fight in all 13 seats alone.

Addressing the media, Mann said, “We have nothing to do with Congress in Punjab.”

"Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will win the elections on all 13 Lok Sabha seats in the state. Punjab will become a hero in the country," he said.