Mamata Banerjee snubs Congress likely to contest West Bengal elections solo
New Delhi : In a major setback for INDIA alliance, Mamata Banerjee in a public address claimed that she will be fighting elections in West Bengal alone. It looks like that the Grand Alliance is losing its grip in the Eastern front of Bihar and West Bengal, which comprises to a total of 82 Lok Sabha seats.
West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress Chief Mamata Banerjee on January 22nd, while addressing a Sanhati rally, declared that she will be going solo in Bengal with her party contesting over all 42 seats.
She reaffirmed that there are no seat sharing talks happening between Congress and Bengal. "We are not in touch with the Congress for Bengal. Let the Congress fight on its own. We will fight on our own. The final decision will be taken post the Lok Sabha results," she said.
It has been noted that senior Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, have been close to the veterans of the Communist Party of India Maexist (CPIM), the party which is an arch rival of TMC.
The 2016 assembly elections in West Bengal saw a collaboration between the Congress and CPIM, who joined forces to contest the political landscape. According to a senior Congress leader, both parties have a longstanding history of working together in the political arena. Despite the Left being in power only in Kerala, a TMC leader expressed that the electoral-political concepts of the Congress and CPIM have faced repeated rejections. The TMC leader further added that Gandhi's affinity for the Left is having a negative impact on the opposition alliance.
Mamata Banerjee insult at INDIA
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been insulted several times during the India bloc meeting, she expressed her anger during the public address on January 22nd.
"For decades, I have been in opposition to the CPIM, and together we successfully removed them. It is impractical for us to heed the CPIM's counsel and align our actions accordingly. We possess the strength and determination to independently contest in Bengal. I coined the alliance as INDIA. However, I am now facing humiliation, and it pains me. I communicated to the Congress that regional parties should focus on their strongholds, allowing them to contest on 300 seats."
