The ongoing disagreement between alliance partners in the INDIA bloc, Trinamool Congress and Congress, regarding a seat-sharing arrangement in West Bengal, continued to escalate. Mamata Banerjee, without explicitly naming any party, emphasized her commitment to contesting alone in the state. Referring to some parties that only become active during elections, she stated, “Our fight with the BJP will continue. We will fight alone. If anyone can defeat BJP, it is Trinamool Congress.” Meanwhile, Congress sources suggested ongoing efforts to bring Mamata on board as an ally, stating that seat-sharing talks in Bengal were temporarily on hold. Party leader Jairam Ramesh downplayed any rift, emphasizing the consideration for the INDIA Alliance to fight together in West Bengal. “Till now things have not been finalised on our end. In an alliance, all members should speak in one voice. One-sided decisions cannot be taken… There are three parties in the INDIA alliance. If all these three want to fight separately, they should officially announce this. Till now we are considering that the INDIA alliance will fight together in West Bengal as well” Jairam Ramesh said.
Earlier Mamata Banerjee had virtually shut the door on the Congress by making it clear that the TMC would fight alone in Bengal. Earlier, Mamata had indicated that TMC would independently contest in Bengal. In a separate development, sources revealed ongoing discussions for a 4-3 seat-sharing formula between Congress and AAP in Delhi. Delhi sends seven parliamentarians to Lok Sabha.
