The Trinamool Congress (TMC) is unlikely to participate in the 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' led by Rahul Gandhi, as it enters West Bengal on January 25, according to a senior TMC leader on Wednesday. The Yatra, currently in Assam, is scheduled to enter West Bengal through Bakshirhat in Cooch Behar district. Despite not receiving a formal invitation from the Congress, the TMC is expected to abstain from joining the Yatra, reflecting the growing tensions between the two parties within the INDIA bloc alliance over seat-sharing in West Bengal.
The Yatra will traverse various districts in West Bengal, including Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, Uttar Dinajpur, Darjeeling, and Malda. The absence of TMC from the Yatra underscores the strained relations between the two political entities.
Tensions have risen over seat-sharing discussions within the INDIA bloc alliance, with TMC leaders, including Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, criticizing the Congress for unreasonable demands for 10-12 seats. Banerjee emphasized that the TMC is the primary force taking on the BJP in West Bengal.
In response, senior state Congress leader Pradip Bhattacharya stated that the party had sent invites to all INDIA bloc partners, leaving the decision to join the Yatra or not to the TMC.
The disagreement over seat-sharing stems from the TMC's offer of two seats based on Congress's 2019 Lok Sabha election performance, which was deemed insufficient by the Congress. The 2019 elections saw TMC secure 22 seats, Congress win two, and the BJP secure 18 seats in West Bengal. The TMC and Congress had previously allied in the 2001 assembly polls, 2009 Lok Sabha elections, and the 2011 assembly polls, successfully ousting the CPI(M)-led Left Front government in the 2011 polls.
(With Agency Inputs)
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