No INDIA bloc in Bengal, Trinamool Congress announces candidates without alliance

Kolkata: Trinamool Congress has unveiled the list of its candidates for all 42 Lok Sabha seats in Bengal, shutting the door on Congress, which had expressed openness to seat-sharing talks just days ago.

Both parties are part of the INDIA bloc, formed to challenge the BJP in the upcoming elections. The decision aligns with Mamata Banerjee's assertion that only her party can effectively counter the BJP in Bengal, with the breakdown in talks being a contributing factor.

Responding to the announcement, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh expressed the party's desire for a respectable seat-sharing agreement through negotiations. He emphasized the Congress's commitment to the INDIA group fighting the BJP together.

Congress leader in Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, launched a strong critique, accusing Mamata Banerjee of sending a message to the PMO by excluding Congress from the seat-sharing agreement. He suggested that Mamata Banerjee fears upsetting PM Modi and, by distancing herself from the INDIA alliance, aims to convey that she is not standing against the BJP.

Trinamool's candidate list for the Lok Sabha polls includes dropping at least eight sitting MPs and introducing new faces like former cricketers Yusuf Pathan and Kirti Azad. The move to field Yusuf Pathan in Baharampur, a stronghold of Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, is viewed as a strategic response to his repeated attacks on the party.

Despite months of attempts to negotiate a seat-sharing arrangement between Congress and Trinamool in Bengal, talks broke down each time Congress sought more than three seats. The absence of Mamata Banerjee from the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra led by Rahul Gandhi, passing through Bengal, deprived the INDIA bloc of a united front against the BJP's political attacks on the Opposition.

Launching a new campaign, Trinamool Congress targeted the BJP as "anti-Bengal" and accused their leaders of resorting to disrespectful remarks against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Trinamool's Abhishek Banerjee characterized the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as a 'Bengalis vs outsiders' contest, criticizing the BJP for welcoming individuals he referred to as "thieves."

The campaign, titled 'Jonogoner Gorjon Bangla Birodhider Bisorjon' (people demand the ouster of anti-Bengal forces), aims to showcase what Trinamool perceives as "anti-Bengal traits" of the BJP. Alleging an ongoing conspiracy against Bengal by the BJP-led central government, Trinamool emphasized the state's consistent efforts to malign Bengal's image.

The party accused the BJP leaders of incessantly mocking and insulting Mamata Banerjee, the only female Chief Minister in the country, while she continues to fight undeterred. Trinamool argued that BJP's actions consistently demonstrated an anti-Bengal attitude and vowed to counteract what they see as detrimental to the state's interests.