Kolkata:
Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s alliance pitch for the upcoming Bengal bypolls has fallen flat after the Congress decided to fight solo.
While no official statements have been issued by either party, reports suggest Trinamool chief Banerjee had dialled Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal with an alliance proposal but didn’t hear back from him.
The Trinamool has declined to comment on if any such proposal was ever made.
The Congress was also the first party in Bengal to declare its candidates for the high-voltage Nandigram and Rejinagar bypolls next month.
Speaking to NDTV, WBPCC Chief Subhankar Sarkar said the Congress hasn’t shut the door to parties ideologically opposed to the BJP, but the Trinamool, at this point, appears to be a liability that can potentially bring down an alliance.
“The Trinamool is embroiled in a fight over the symbol. If we go by the Shiv Sena symbol tussle, in all likelihood, the EC will do as directed by the BJP. If Trinamool loses the symbol, the momentum will be lost and impact the Congress,” he explained.
The Congress in Bengal has witnessed Trinamool’s quick disintegration and its battle with an internal turmoil after a crushing defeat in the state polls this May.
“The BJP has formed a shadow opposition under Ritabrata Banerjee. If Mamata Banerjee wants oxygen, she needs the Congress. Our doors are open, but it has to be unconditional support to the Congress,” added Sarkar.
Reports claim Banerjee had offered the Nandigram seat to Congress while seeking support for the Rejinagar seat in Murshidabad, a minority-dominated assembly constituency.
The bypoll scheduled on October 6, the first after the BJP came to power in Bengal, will be closely watched and hotly contested.
Nandigram will be a prestige battle for the BJP since this seat was vacated by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who retained his Bhabanipur seat in Kolkata, where he had defeated Mamata Banerjee.
The last day for filing nominations is tomorrow.
