INDIA bloc gets jolts in Bengal and Punjab

West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee and Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday ruled out alliances with the Indian National Congress in their states for the coming Lok Sabha elections, jeopardising not just the prospects of the INDIA bloc of opposition parties, but also threatening its utility.

- Saubhadra Chatterji, Tanmay Chatterjee and Navneet Sharma

A top-ranking TMC leader close to Banerjee told HT on condition of anonymity that what irked the chief minister was (Congress leader) Rahul Gandhi’s comment that “the negotiations on seat-sharing are underway” even though there are no talks going on between the two sides. TMC leaders also cited state Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury’s frequent attacks as a factor.

“No, I did not have any talk with anyone. Since they refused my proposal at the very beginning, our party has decided to go it alone in Bengal. Have they even shown the courtesy by informing us about the rally they are holding in our state? I am also in the INDIA alliance. So, I have no relationship with them in Bengal,” said Banerjee, referring to Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra which is scheduled to enter Bengal on Thursday.

In Punjab, while addressing reporters after a cabinet meeting, Mann said: “How many times will you make me say the same thing. Punjab will become a hero in the country, AAP will win 13-0 in the Lok Sabha elections.”

Their comments mean that the TMC will contest all 42 seats in West Bengal and AAP, all 13 in Punjab.

To be sure, an alliance in the two states was always going to be a challenge. The AAP came to power in the state by defeating the incumbent Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in state elections in 2022. The Congress won just 23% of the vote and 18 seats in that election compared to AAP’s 42% and 92 seats (in the 117-member house). The Congress’s performance suffered after it ousted its chief minister Amarinder Singh, who had led it to a creditable performance in the 2019 Lok Sabha election in the state, winning eight of 13 seats and 40% of the vote.