Trinamool-Congress bitterness increases in West Bengal as seat sharing fails

Bitterness between Congress and Trinamool Congress increases as talks of seat-sharing fail in West Bengal.

With talks of seat-sharing between the Congress and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) failing in West Bengal, the bitterness between the two parties is increasing with every passing day.

After Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed doubts over the Congress’ ability to secure “even 40 seats“ in the State in the upcoming Lok Sabha election, TMC leader Kalyan Banerjee on Saturday said that his party would ensure that State Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury did not return to the Lok Sabha in 2024. 

“Whatever happens, in 2024, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury will not return to Lok Sabha. We will ensure that,” Mr. Kalyan Banerjee said. The Sreerampore MP also dubbed Mr. Chowdhury a “traitor” and said that the State Congress president was the “biggest agent of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Narendra Modi in West Bengal”.

Ms. Banerjee on Friday reiterated that she had proposed the “Congress contest 300 seats (across the country where BJP is the main Opposition), but they refused to heed”, and added, “I doubt whether they will secure even 40 seats if they contested 300”. Ms. Banerjee had described Rahul Gandhi as a “seasonal bird” who had come to do a “photo shoot” in West Bengal.

Also Read: 2024 Lok Sabha polls | Trinamool, Congress spar over seat-sharing in West Bengal

Ms. Banerjee had also accused the Congress and the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) of enticing Muslim votes in the State. A section of Trinamool Congress leaders were also upset that Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra passed through Muslim-dominated regions in the State.