Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Congress West Bengal chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury claimed that Mamata Banerjee was in dilemma regarding being a part of the INDI alliance after Trinamool Congress snubbed the grand old Congress party. TMC has claimed that it will contest on all the 42 seats on its own. 

As seat-sharing talks between Congress and TMC remained inconclusive, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that he is holding talks with the left parties in the state, indicating that Congress may contest the upcomimg Lok Sabha elections in coalition with the Left parties. 

On alliance with Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury questioned why there has been no official word from the TMC, hinting that the West Bengal chief minister is in a dilemma. “They (TMC) are in a dilemma. There should be an official yes or no from the party Supremo (Mamata Banerjee). They are not saying officially that the process of forging the alliance has ended. Because they are in a dilemma.” 

Mamata Banerjee Has 2 Dilemmas: Adhir 

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury claimed that Mamata Banerjee and Trinamool leaders were afraid of the central agencies, adding that Mamata Banerjee is concerned about minority votes - on the question of contesting with the INDI alliance. 

“The first dilemma, a section of the party believes that if they contest alone, without the INDIA alliance, then the minorities of West Bengal will vote against them. One section of the TMC wants the alliance to continue. Another section is in another dilemma that if the alliance is given more importance in Bengal, then the Modi government will use ED, CBI against them,” said Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. 

“Because of these two dilemmas, the TMC has not been able to make a clear decision. Maybe there are some talks in Delhi, but I don't have any such information,” he added. 

TMC Snubs Congress 

 Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien on Friday said there has been "no change" in the party's stand of contesting all 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal.

“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,” said Derek O'Brien. 

 The Congress and the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC, which are part of the opposition bloc INDI Alliance, are said to have revived their talks to unitedly take on the BJP-led NDA in the Lok Sabha polls, due in April-May.