West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress Chairperson Mamata Banerjee on January 23 criticised the Congress for delaying seat-sharing in the state over “unjustified” demand for 10-12 Lok Sabha constituencies, when her party was willing to share only two.
Her disapproval of the grand old party came at a time when Rahul Gandhi had claimed to have “very close” relations with the TMC supremo.
TMC-Congress seat-sharing talks in Bengal: 5 latest updates
Amid the seat-sharing talks between the TMC and the Congress, contrasting comments of Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, and other party leaders point towards ongoing tensions in the INDIA alliance. Here are five latest updates on TMC-Congress seat-sharing talks ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
-On Tuesday, Rahul Gandhi claimed that he has “very close” bond with Mamata Banerjee. “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,” said the Congress MP.
He also added that comments of other party leaders like Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary “won’t matter and these things are not going to disrupt” the relations between the Congress and TMC.
-Rahul Gandhi’s claim of having strong relations with the TMC leader fell short when Mamata Banerjee expressed her displeasure with the party over seat sharing issue during a closed-door organisational meeting of the party’s unit in Birbhum, a district considered a stronghold of the TMC, reported PTI.
-During the same meeting in Birbhum, Mamata Banerjee urged party leaders to prepare to fight the electoral battle alone. She also emphasised that the TMC needs to win in both the Lok Sabha seats from the district.
-“Our party supremo clearly said that we don’t need to think about seat-sharing talks with the Congress. She said that the party had offered two seats to them. But the Congress at times is demanding 10-12 seats,” PTI quoted a senior TMC leader as saying.
-West Bengal has a total of 42 Lok Sabha seats. According to the news agency, party sources said that Banerjee encouraged district leaders to prepare for fighting alone in Birbhum. “Mamata didi told us to prepare to fight in both the seats from the district,” the TMC leader said.
Mamata Banerjee’s remark at the party’s internal meeting was in contradiction to not only Rahul Gandhi’s comments but also her stance for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. A day ago, she had supported the idea of regional leaders spearheading the fight against the BJP in specific regions. She also suggested that the Congress can independently contest 300 Lok Sabha seats.
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Published: 23 Jan 2024, 10:22 PM IST
