Kolkata: Following finalisation of the seat-sharing deal between with Congress for the assembly polls, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Monday said she wants to work together to take on the ruling Left Front in the coming battle.
“We all want to work together to bring back democracy by ending Left Front misrule in the coming elections,” Banerjee told a press conference shortly after Congress general secretary Shakeel Ahmed announced the seat-sharing
deal in Delhi.
The Trinamool supremo, who had last Friday unilaterally announced her party’s list of 228 candidates giving 64 seats to Congress and two to its own ally SUCI, today agreed to the Congress leadership’s request to settle the seat-sharing deal by allowing it one more seat.
“Trinamool Congress will contest 227 seats, our ally SUCI two and Congress 65,” Banerjee said minutes before releasing her party’s election manifesto at her Kalighat residence. She said that after minor alterations, Trinamool had given Canning (East) and Phansidewa constituencies to Congress while taking from the latter Jamuria seat.
Today’s settlement on the issue ended days of uncertainty over the electoral alliance of the two parties, particularly after Banerjee had set a deadline till four pm on Monday for Congress to accept 64 seats or else her party would announce candidates in all those seats.
Asked for her comments on the tortuous process that the seat-sharing talks went through, Banerjee quipped, “Don’t worry. It is your gossip. CPI(M) may be crying but you should smile.” Banerjee further said, “This alliance is committed to usher in good governance and impartial administration in the state replacing the 35-year-old ‘rotten’ Left rule. This alliance stands for secularism and development and keeping this in view, we will contest the polls.”
The seat-sharing agreement was clinched on Banerjee’s terms, the same way as was done during the last Lok Sabha elections. Initially, Congress had demanded 98 seats from Trinamool Congress and later climbed down to near about 70. The party had also bargained hard for the Kolkata port, Metiaburuz and Entally constituencies, which Trinamool Congress did not concede.
Congress had also pitched for winnable seats with WBPCC chief Manas Bhuniya and two MPs – Deepa Dasmunshi and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury – insisting that the party should not end up becoming an ‘also ran’.
In the last Lok Sabha elections, Congress had contested 14 seats and won six whereas Trinamool fought 27 and won 17. Trinamool’s ally SUCI had contested and won one seat under the seat-sharing formula. In the outgoing state Assembly, Congress has 19, Trinamool Congress 30 and SUCI 2 members.
Expressing happiness at the finalisation of the seat adjustment, Banerjee said, “We are happy to have Congress by our side to fight the elections jointly.”
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