Lok Sabha Elections 2024: No alliance in Bengal, says Mamata Banerjee

Mamata Banerjee. Pic/PTI

The INDIA bloc suffered a huge setback on Wednesday as Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee said that her party declared that the Trinamool Congress would fight alone in Bengal for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2024, reported news agency ANI.

West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee \asserted that she has not spoken to anyone in the Congress on seat-sharing in the state for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2024.

Her comments come a day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi reportedly said in Assam that seat-sharing talks were underway with the Trinamool Congress.

"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 will defeat BJP," the TMC supremo said, reported ANI.

I gave many proposals but they rejected them from the beginning. From then, we have decided to fight the elections in Bengal alone, said Mamata Banerjee, reported ANI.

The Bengal Chief Minister also claimed she had not been informed of Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra passing through Bengal, contrary to claims by the Congress that they had invited INDIA bloc parties to join the Yatra.

"They did not even bother to inform me that they will be coming to West Bengal as a matter of courtesy even though I am a part of the INDIA bloc. So there is no with relation with me as far as Bengal is concerned," Mamata Banerjee said, reported ANI.

"We will decide on what to do at the all-India level. We are a secular party. We will do whatever we can to defeat the BJP. The alliance does not comprise any one party. We have said that they should fight in some states and the regional parties should be left to fight alone in the other states. They should not interfere," she added, reported ANI.

The breakdown in Trinamool Congress and the Congress came after state unit chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdury continued his attack on the Bengal Chief Minister.

In a news conference on Tuesday Adhir Chowdhury claimed that in the 2011 elections, Mamata Banerjee came to power with the mercy of Congress.

"This time, the elections will not be fought at the mercy of Mamata Banerjee. The Congress defeated the BJP and TMC in the two seats that Mamata Banerjee is leaving. The Congress party knows how to contest the elections. Mamta Banerjee is an opportunist; she came to power in 2011, with the mercy of Congress," the Congress MP said, reported ANI.

Rahul Gandhi who is in Assam as part of his Nyay Yatra tried to quell the damage been done by the state unit chief's repeated attacks by insisting that he had a good relationship with the TMC supremo.

"The negotiations on seat-sharing is 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," Rahul Gandhi had said on Tuesday, reported ANI.

The Trinamool Congress reportedly was willing to offer the Congress a maximum of three Lok Sabha seats of the 42 seats in Bengal. In the 2019 elections the Congress had won two Lok Sabha seats while the TMC had won 22 seats.

With this announcement, of going alone, by Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday it appears that the doors are closed for the Congress in Bengal. For the INDIA bloc stitching together alliances has proven as stumbling block and it appears that now the alliance may not be able to put together a united front against the BJP.

(With inputs from ANI)