Mamata Banerjee likely to go solo in Lok Sabha polls
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) will likely contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections alone in West Bengal, party officials said. According to PTI, the party chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, during an organizational meeting in Birbhum district, asked party leaders to start preparing for polls and not focus on seat-sharing talks. The report comes in the backdrop of a fissure among the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc allies at the state level over seat sharing.
Why does this story matter?
With the 2024 Lok Sabha elections round the corner, several members of the opposition INDIA bloc, including Banerjee, are reportedly keen to finalize the seat-sharing arrangements. This is being viewed as a vital step for the bloc allies. Several of its leaders have stressed the significance of creating a one-on-one fight against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). However, some states could be tricky for the INDIA allies where they are each other's competitors.
TMC expected to field candidates in all 42 constituencies
Banerjee has hit out at the Congress for causing delay in seat-sharing talks in West Bengal. Congress has sought 10-12 Lok Sabha seats in the state, which Banerjee has said is an "unjustified" demand. The TMC is willing to offer only two seats to Congress. These are the seats where the party fared better during the 2019 elections. The TMC is now expected to compete in all 42 West Bengal constituencies during the Lok Sabha elections, reports said.
They(Congress) say they will do as they wish: Banerjee
On Monday, Banerjee during her address at the Solidarity March had dropped hints of going it alone in the 2024 elections. The TMC leader said she had suggested that the Congress should allow regional parties to deal with the elections in their strongholds. "You contest alone in 300 other seats. We will help. But they say they will do as they wish. Just keep one thing in mind, do not help the BJP...," the Wire quoted her as saying.
Bengal Congress chief hits out at Banerjee
The alleged rift between TMC and Congress made news after West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury targeted Banerjee and her party over contesting the 2024 polls. On Tuesday, Chowdhury called Banerjee an "opportunist." He also said that the Congress would not contest the election "at her mercy." "Congress knows how to fight on its own strength, and Mamata Banerjee should remember that it was with Congress's support she came to power in Bengal," he said.
Rahul dismisses Chowdhury's criticism
Senior party leader Rahul Gandhi has dismissed Chowdhury's criticism. On the sidelines of his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, Gandhi said: "The negotiations on seat-sharing are underway; I don't want to comment here. But Mamata Banerjee is very close to me and our party. Sometimes our leaders say something, their leaders say something, and it goes on. It's a natural thing." "Such comments won't matter and these are not things that are going to disrupt things," he added.
Banerjee skips crucial INDIA meeting
On January 13, Banerjee skipped a crucial virtual meeting of the INDIA bloc due to prior commitments. The virtual discussions were critical as they focussed on making the opposition's united strategy ahead of the elections. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge was appointed as chief of the bloc in this meeting.
