Despite Mamata Banerjee's Snub, Seat Talks With Congress Back On: Sources

Seats that Congress wishes to fight and Trinamool might give them are Behrampur, Malda South, Malda North, Raiganj and Darjeeling. The Congress also wants Purulia but seems unlikely.

The Congress, on a roll after sealing seat sharing deals with Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party and Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party, is aiming for a hat-trick, with a new formula for Mamata Banerjee. Sources said the party is hoping to get five of Bengal's 42 seats. The downside - as in deals with AAP and SP -- the Congress may have to part with seats in states where it is the main Opposition. This could involve two seats in Assam and one in Meghalaya.

But for now, the good news is the talks are back on, and moving in a positive direction, sources in the Congress said. "If consensus is reached, an announcement will be made soon," they added.

The party, though, is still pushing for one more seat in Bengal - which is four more than Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee's last offer.