As the national election approaches, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's stance softens. Initially proclaiming to contest all parliamentary seats alone, Banerjee is now extending a seat-sharing offer to Congress once again.
Reportedly, TMC has proposed Congress to contest on two seats in West Bengal. Moreover, TMC plans to field candidates in one seat each in Meghalaya and Assam. The discussion, however, seems to hit a wall over the Tura seat in Meghalaya, which Congress is reluctant to cede to TMC.
It's important to note that TMC's interest in the Tura seat stems from the 2019 elections where their vote percentage was significant. Citing these numbers, TMC argues for their rightful chance to contest from this seat.
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'Decision to Go Solo in Bengal Elections'
In January, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced her party's intent to contest exclusively in the upcoming parliamentary elections. This was seen as a major setback for the opposing INDIA alliance. Banerjee timed her announcement as Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Justice March was set to enter Bengal.
At that time, rumors suggested that Banerjee had offered Congress to contest in two of West Bengal's 42 parliamentary seats, but Congress declined.
The SP-Congress Alliance Formed in UP
An official announcement for the Samajwadi Party and Congress alliance was made on Wednesday for the upcoming national elections in Uttar Pradesh. Under the alliance, Congress will contest 17 seats, with the remaining 63 seats allocated to INDIA alliance candidates.
Among the 17 seats Congress will contest in UP are Raebareli, Amethi, Kanpur Nagar, Fatehpur Sikri, Bansgaon, Saharanpur, Prayagraj, Maharajganj, Varanasi, Amroha, Jhansi, Bulandshahr, Ghaziabad, Mathura, Sitapur, Barabanki, and Deoria.
