Kolkata: With both the Congress and the CPI(M) yet to reach any conclusion over seat sharing in Bengal, Trinamool Congress (TMC) has dared the Left to fight alone in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Following the collapse in talks between TMC and the Congress for seat sharing in Bengal, the state unit of the grand old party had said that it would instead tie up with the Left, akin to the understanding in the 2021 Bengal Assembly elections, for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
In the meantime, the Congress’ top leadership has refused to let go of its attempts to strike an alliance with the Trinamool but in vain.
TMC revealed its candidate list on Sunday while the BJP has announced a list of candidates for Bengal in its first list. In such a situation, sources said the Left gave an ultimatum to the Congress since it cannot wait indefinitely for the former’s confirmation over seat sharing. The Left is learnt to have already prepared a contingency plan in case it has to field candidates in all 42 seats in Bengal if seat sharing talks fail. State Congress unit chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who was in favour of an
alliance with the Left than with Trinamool in Bengal, is learnt to have remarked that there were initial talks with the Left but no concrete decision was taken regarding an alliance. To TMC’s jibe that Congress is reeling under indecision, Adhir said that his party is a national party and hence decision is taken from Delhi. One has to wait for it, he said.
TMC leader Kunal Ghosh dared the Left to fight alone “If the Left indeed has so much support as it claims to while also conducting Insaaf rally, let them prove it in the elections.”