Seat-sharing in West Bengal for Lok Sabha Election 2024: Congress says talks on, TMC says will fight solo

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Seat-sharing in West Bengal for Lok Sabha Election 2024: Amid reports of the revival of seat-sharing talks between the Congress and TMC, the leaders of both parties have once again come up with conflicting statements indicating that there is no clarity yet on whether or not the two parties will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha election 2024 together in West Bengal. TMC leader Derek O’Brien said on Friday that his party will fight the general elections solo. The Rajya Sabha member said there was “no change" in the party’s stand of contesting all 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal, a few in Assam, and one in Meghalaya, news agency PTI reported.

“A few weeks ago…West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stated that TMC is fighting all the 42 seats in Bengal. We are also in the fray in a few seats in Assam and the Tura Lok Sabha seat in Meghalaya. There is no change in this position," O’Brien said.

Mamata Banerjee had earlier decided not to be a part of the INDIA bloc in her state. But the Congress leaders say that the party was engaged in seat-sharing discussions with the TMC ahead of the polls. This after the Congress party and Samajwadi Party (SP) agreed on a seat-sharing arrangement as part of the INDIA bloc in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday.

On Friday, Congress general secretary in charge, of communications, Jairam Ramesh once again told reporters in Delhi that talks were on with West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee but seat share has not been finalised yet. An agreement in West Bengal would lift the morale of the beleaguered Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), especially after the exit of JD-U. Of the 42 seats in West Bengal, the TMC won 22 and the BJP bagged 18 seats in the 2019 Lok