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Lok Sabha Polls 2024: TMC Snubs Congress, To Contest On All 42 Seats In Bengal Alone

Lok Sabha Polls 2024: Amid reports about the Congress soon finalising its seat-sharing arrangements with the party, the TMC on Friday reiterated its stand to go solo in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal. Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien said there has been "no change" in the party’s stand of contesting all 42 Lok Sabha seats in Bengal, a few in Assam and one seat in Meghalaya. "A few weeks ago… West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stated that TMC is fighting all the 42 seats in Bengal. We are also in the fray in a few seats in Assam and the Tura Lok Sabha seat in Meghalaya. There is no change in this position," the TMC leader said as quoted by news agency PTI. The Congress and the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC, part of the INDIA bloc, are rumoured to have revived their seat-sharing talks to challenge the BJP-led NDA jointly in the Lok Sabha elections, which is due for April–May. On Friday, Congress announced that seat-sharing negotiations were going on with all of its INDIA partners, including the National Conference in Jammu and Kashmir and the TMC in West Bengal, following the finalisation of seat-sharing agreements with the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh for the Lok Sabha polls.

TMC Snubs Congress, To Contest On All 42 Seats In Bengal Alone

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has made a decisive move ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal. They have firmly stated their intention to contest all 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state independently, without forming an alliance with any other party 123. This decision comes despite earlier reports that the Congress party was in talks with the TMC for a potential alliance in Bengal. Derek O’Brien, a prominent TMC leader, reiterated the party’s stance, emphasizing that there has been “no change” in their position. The TMC will also contest a few seats in Assam and the Tura Lok Sabha seat in Meghalaya 1. Meanwhile, the Congress had initially claimed that seat-sharing talks with the TMC were back on track, but the TMC’s recent announcement has dashed those hopes 2. In Uttar Pradesh, the Congress has formed an alliance with the Samajwadi Party, with the Congress contesting 17 out of the 80 Lok Sabha seats, while the Samajwadi Party will contest 63 seats. In Maharashtra, the Congress is in alliance with Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray’s Sena and Sharad Pawar’s NCP. Talks are ongoing to finalize Lok Sabha seat allocations between the Congress and its allies in the state 1. Despite these developments, the TMC’s decision to go solo in Bengal remains firm, and the Congress will need to recalibrate its strategy accordingly. The political landscape is dynamic, and alliances can shift rapidly, but for now, the TMC stands resolute in its independent bid for all 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal.