Language Settings
Select Website Language

Congress Rejects TMC's Bengal Bypoll Alliance Offer

4 hours ago

The West Bengal Congress turned down a Trinamool Congress proposal to coordinate on the Nandigram and Rejinagar bypolls, opting to contest alone.

The Congress has declined a proposal from the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress to form an alliance for upcoming bypolls in West Bengal, choosing instead to contest the seats on its own.

The TMC had reached out to the Congress with an offer to coordinate: the Congress would contest Nandigram, while the Trinamool would fight Rejinagar. The West Bengal unit of the Congress rejected the arrangement. On Monday, the TMC announced its own candidates for both Nandigram and Rejinagar - a move that came only after the Congress had already named its nominees.

Party sources said the state Congress refused a tie-up because it is trying to rebuild its organisation after a decade of steep decline in Bengal. Aligning with the Trinamool now, they argued, would undercut that effort to revive the party's base. "It's a local party decision," sources said when asked about the failure to strike a deal, even as the BJP has grown more aggressive after recently winning what was described as a Trinamool stronghold.

A senior Congress leader stressed that the two parties remain closely aligned against the BJP. He said the Congress stands firmly with the Trinamool in opposing what he called the misuse of state power against the party, and pointed to their cooperation in Parliament. "But these are by elections, it is a very local affair. The local unit takes such decisions," he said.

The breakdown in Bengal appears to have spilled over into Assam. The Trinamool has fielded a candidate in the Lok Sabha byelection for the Nagaon constituency, where the Congress is in a direct contest with the BJP. The BJP recently returned to power in Assam with a large majority.

By entering the Nagaon race, the Trinamool threatens to turn a two-way fight into a triangular one. The party has fielded a Muslim candidate in the seat - a choice that could split votes and hurt the prospects of the Congress, its ally on the national stage.

Congress TMC alliance, Bengal bypolls, Nandigram bypoll, Rejinagar bypoll, Mamata Banerjee, Nagaon byelection, Trinamool Congress, West Bengal politics

Click here to Read More
Previous Article
SpiceJet Denies AC Failure After Delhi-Gorakhpur Flight Complaint
Next Article
Croma Cuts iPhone 17 Pro to Rs 69,990 as Apple Ships iPhone 18

Related India Updates:

Are you sure? You want to delete this comment..! Remove Cancel

Comments (0)

    Leave a comment