Mamata Banerjee's ‘Quit INDIA’ in Bengal & Trouble in Bihar: 82 Seats in Limbo for Opposition Alliance

In four months of its first meeting in Delhi in September, Opposition’s Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc seems to be losing steam on the eastern front of Bihar and West Bengal, which accounts for a total of 82 Lok Sabha seats.

In a major hit, West Bengal CM and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee, who snubbed the Congress while addressing the Sanhati rally on January 22, on Wednesday declared that she will go solo in Bengal, with her party contesting all 42 seats. She reiterated that no seat-sharing talks are happening with the Congress in Bengal. “We are not in touch with the Congress for Bengal. Let the Congress fight on its own. We will fight on our own. The final decision will be taken post the Lok Sabha results,” she said.

Senior Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, have always been close to the veterans of the Communist Party of India Marxist (CPIM). The CPIM, an arch rival of the TMC, was an ally in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA). The Congress and CPIM also joined hands to fight the 2016 assembly elections in West Bengal. Both the parties — Congress and CPIM – have a history of working together politically, said a senior Congress leader. However, the Left is in power in only one state — Kerala. “Their electoral-political ideas have been ‘rejected’ time and again,” said a TMC leader adding, “Gandhi’s ‘love for the Left’ is proving to be ‘detrimental’ for the Opposition’s alliance.”

PROBLEM OF 2 STATES

According to senior politicians of the region and experts, the Opposition’s alliance in these non-Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states has been a ‘non-starter’ with public spats, lack of consensus and mud-slinging. The idea of ‘one-upmanship’ by Congress leaders and aligning towards the Left have been taking its toll on the bloc.

Banerjee’s angst was more than apparent in her public address in Kolkata on January 22. She said that she felt “insulted” several times in the INDIA bloc meeting as the Left parties always controlled it. “I have fought the CPIM for decades and we ousted them. It is not possible for us to listen to the CPIM and work accordingly. We have the power and resolve to fight alone in Bengal. I named the alliance INDIA. And now, I am being humiliated. It hurt me. I told them (Congress) that let the regional parties fight in their strong areas and they can fight on 300 seats,” Banerjee had said.

Following Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar’s snub to the Congress of refusing to accept the position of national convener, the ties between the JD(U) and Congress have also gone cold. The RJD and JD(U), the ruling coalition in Bihar, have also discussed the seat-sharing formula among themselves for the 40 Lok Sabha seats.

A senior RJD leader told News18 that both the parties have already moved forward over the seat-sharing issues in the state, while the Congress is yet not part of it. “We have almost sealed the seat-sharing deals in the state. As of now, we do not see the INDIA bloc going anywhere. We are now looking at a post-poll coalition. We, along with the JD(U), will defeat the BJP in Bihar, as our survey says that there can be a bipolar fight between us and the BJP over four seats, while we have an edge on 36 seats.”

A senior JD(U) leader, who is close to Nitish Kumar, said there was no sign of the Congress in the discussion. “It is the arrogance of senior Congress leaders which did not let the INDIA bloc bloom properly. Our leader, Nitish Kumar ji, will take a final call, but we are fighting the election on our own with our state ally RJD.”