Lok Sabha elections in 2024: Trinamool and Congress argue about West Bengal seat sharing
The TMC claims it must “acknowledge the reality” of its “limitations” in West Bengal, while the Congress calls the offer “humiliating.” The current poll received less than 5% of support among Congress voters.
In order to compete in the next Lok Sabha election, the Congress, an ally of the Trinamool Congress in the INDIA bloc, is only ready to give up two seats in West Bengal. Refusing to engage in negotiations with the Congress National Alliance Committee about a seat-sharing formula, the TMC claims it has already communicated to its ally the “number of seats” it is willing to share as well as the “methodology” that guided its choice.
According to a senior Trinamool MP who is aware of alliance developments, “We have conveyed the methodology of how it should proceed.” We want the Congress leadership in Bengal to face up to the facts and their own limits. Despite a lot of remarks being made, we have been really kind and patient.
formula based on performance
The TMC wants the formula for seat-sharing to be determined by how well the parties did in the most recent West Bengal Assembly election and the 2019 Lok Sabha poll. TMC sources said that out of the 39 Lok Sabha seats in the State, the Congress received less than 5% of the vote. Two seats, according to the Congress, is a “humiliating” number. Whether to give up an additional seat is now up to TMC president Mamata Banerjee.
“We’ll hold off until they can decide.” However, we would contest all 42 seats if they don’t agree, the Trinamool MP declared.
How kind the Congress is in West Bengal will also depend on how eager it is to return the TMC’s kindness in Assam and Meghalaya. According to the TMC, it is trying to be more in line with the INDIA spirit by lowering its demands. It has asked one seat in Meghalaya and four seats in Assam, though it has not yet made its claim. “There is another candidate vying for the Goa seat. But we can’t allow our objectives to impede India’s development,” the MP went on.