Murshidabad, Feb 1: At a press conference held in Murshidabad district during the ongoing Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, the Congress expressed optimism about reaching a mutually acceptable seat-sharing arrangement with the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Despite TMC chief Mamata Banerjee's initial reluctance to allocate seats to the Congress, party general secretary Jairam Ramesh highlighted the importance of collaborative efforts to unseat the BJP government at the Centre.
In Murshidabad, where the Congress presently holds one out of three seats, Mr. Ramesh's confidence in securing TMC's participation follows Ms. Banerjee's statement on Wednesday. She declared her decision not to allocate seats to the Congress, alleging the party's alignment with the CPI(M) to support the BJP's prospects in the state.
Addressing concerns about the Communist Party of India (Marxist) leadership's reluctance to engage in a coalition with the TMC in Bengal, Mr. Ramesh clarified that representatives from the CPI(M), Congress, TMC, and other parties were present in all meetings of the opposition bloc.
Ms. Banerjee had reportedly reiterated her stance during a public distribution event, stating that the TMC would contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls independently in the state after the Congress rejected her proposal to contest two seats.
Mr. Ramesh emphasized the alliance's clear objective in Bengal: to oust the BJP. He stressed the need to ensure that the BJP is defeated in the 18 seats it secured in West Bengal during the last elections in 2019.
"The INDIA alliance holds special significance in the context of the Lok Sabha elections. The West Bengal Chief Minister has repeatedly expressed her commitment to the INDIA alliance. Congress Party welcomes this statement, and our common target is the BJP. With 18 seats currently held by the BJP in Bengal, our aim is to reduce it to zero. That is why the INDIA alliance has been formed."
It is noteworthy that the TMC had previously formed alliances with the Congress in the 2001 assembly polls, the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, and the 2011 assembly polls, resulting in the ousting of the CPI(M)-led Left Front government after 34 years.
