Rumblings in INDIA bloc over seat-sharing, Congress slams TMC's 2-seat offer

West Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. (File photo)

The Congress has slammed INDIA bloc partner Trinamool Congress’s offer to contest two of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal, highlighting the thorny issue the opposition alliance needs to resolve ahead of the general elections.

The differences came to the fore as the 28-party bloc put off a virtual meeting that was to be held on January 4 to discuss the preparations for the Lok Sabha polls due in April-May.

West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said his party didn’t need TMC leader and chief minister Mamata Banerjee's “pity” and was capable of winning more seats on its own.

Chowdhury said the Congress had won Berhampore and Malda South seats in 2019 by defeating both the TMC and the BJP.

The Congress had no intention of accepting just the two seats by "begging for mercy", Chowdhury, who is the Berhampore MP, said, suggesting the TMC was driving a hard bargain to contest more seats in Assam, Meghalaya and Goa.

Also Read: Lok Sabha polls preparations: EC to visit states from January 7

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the ruling TMC won 22 seats in the state.

The TMC has reportedly suggested an exercise to allot seats in accordance with a party’s strength in a particular constituency. The plan involves looking at the votes a party got in the last parliamentary election, the most recent assembly polls or both. The party that comes out as the strongest in the state would then be the one to make decision.

Also Read | Congress panel starts deliberations on manifesto for Lok Sabha polls

The TMC has also accused the Congress of adopting a contradictory stance and said it would give it "a few more days" to explain its position on seat sharing in the state.

The Congress leadership should ponder over why some of its state leaders were criticising Banerjee, particularly when she was working to "strengthen" Sonia and Rahul Gandhi in their fight against the BJP, the Trinamool said.

The TMC reportedly said the Congress sought more time to decide on sharing of seats but added that "days cannot be months".

Differences have also emerged between the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party Punjab and Delhi seats. A Congress leader said the party would all 13 seats in Punjab, where the AAP is in power. There is also no clarity on Delhi’s seven seats, where the ruling AAP and the Congress are at loggerheads.