TMC snubs Congress, names nominees for all 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal

Shubhadeep Choudhury

New Delhi, March 10

In a snub to the Congress, which has been maintaining that talks with the Trinamool Congress (TMC) for the coming Lok Sabha elections are still on, the TMC on Sunday announced candidates for all 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal.

16 sitting MPs renominated

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• The TMC has renominated 16 sitting MPs, fielded 12 women & has brought in several new faces for the LS contest
• The names were announced by TMC gen secy Abhiskek Banerjee at Kolkata’s iconic Brigade Parade Ground

Our doors always open for alliance

Our doors are always open and an alliance can happen anytime before withdrawal. — Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress President

The Congress and the TMC, both members of the opposition INDIA bloc, had been trying to reach a seat-sharing arrangement in Bengal for months. However, the TMC could not come to terms with the Congress’ demand for giving it eight seats.

Having announced the candidates, the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC today made it clear that it was not interested in an alliance with the Congress in the state.

The choice of candidate for Berhampore, represented in the Lok Sabha by Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha and WBPCC chief, apparently contained a message.

Star cricketer Yusuf Pathan has been fielded by the TMC from Berhampore, Chowdhury’s seat. The Congress leader, reputed to be a sworn enemy of TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, staunchly opposed what he thought was a “bad deal” being offered by the TMC to the Congress for joining hands against the BJP in West Bengal.

“Our doors are always open and an alliance can happen anytime before withdrawal,” Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said when asked about the announcement of candidates by the TMC today.

Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh sounded upset and wrote on X, “The Congress has repeatedly declared its desire to have a respectable seat-sharing agreement with the TMC in West Bengal. The Congress has always maintained that such an agreement has to be finalised through negotiations and not by unilateral announcement.”

The names of the candidates were announced by TMC general secretary Abhiskek Banerjee at a rally at Kolkata’s iconic Brigade Parade Ground today. The nominees were later paraded by party supremo Mamata Banerjee in a dramatic fashion on a ramp erected at the ground.

The TMC renominated 16 sitting MPs, fielded 12 women and brought in several new faces. Besides Pathan, it has also fielded former India cricketer Kirti Azad, son of former Bihar Chief Minister Bhagwat Jha Azad, from the Bardhaman-Durgapur constituency. The seat is now represented by BJP’s SS Ahluwalia.

From the Basirhat Lok Sabha seat, where Sandeshkhali is situated, the TMC has pitted its former MP Haji Nurul Islam by dropping sitting MP Nusrat Jahan.

The TMC also re-nominated expelled MP Mahua Moitra from the Krishnanagar seat for the second consecutive term. While former Bollywood star Shatrughan Sinha would defend his Asansol constituency, popular TV presenter Rachana Banerjee will engage BJP’s Locket Chatterjee at Hoogly.