Mamata Banerjee to skip INDIA bloc's seat sharing virtual meet
Mamata Banerjee is set to miss a crucial virtual meeting of INDIA bloc leaders that is held virtually on Saturday, PTI reported.
A TMC leader has claimed that Banerjee has an event lined up that clashes with timings of the INDIA bloc meeting.
However, the leader clarified that the CM will be available for future meetings of the mega alliance.
«But this doesn't mean we won't attend future INDIA meetings,» said a TMC leader adding, «We continue to be patient and gracious.»
The TMC had also offered that the meeting could be held next week.
Banerjee has already dismissed sharing seats in Bengal with Left Front, but is open to an understanding with Congress.
The grand old party is interested in six seats of West Bengal and is likely to pursue the issue with Banerjee amid speculation that TMC is unwilling to part with more than three of the 42 Lok Sabha seats, one more than Congress won in 2019.
INDIA bloc meeting agenda:
Leaders of INDIA bloc parties will hold a virtual meeting on Saturday morning where strengthening the anti-BJP platform and seat-sharing are expected to be the main subjects of discussion.
The mega alliance is also likely to deliberate on the appointment of a convener for which Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is understood to have been in touch with leaders of all parties, including Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar.
Seat-sharing talks in advanced stages:
Seat-sharing talks between Congress and its state allies in Maharashtra and Jharkhand are in advanced stages, while talks with Samajwadi Party for Uttar Pradesh are also on course, sources said.
However, seat-sharing discussion will be tricky in Bihar where JD(U) appears eager to contest 16 of 40 LS seats, leaving Congress to negotiate with
