Congress Eyes 10 Bengal Seats, Downplays Trinamool's 2-Seat Offer: Sources

The Congress and Trinamool are caught in fraught negotiations over the seat-sharing formula for the upcoming general elections. Both parties holding firm in their demands, say sources. The result: no headway.

The Congress, which suffered a string of losses in the latest round of state polls, is pushing to get 10 seats (which includes the two it won in 2019 polls).

The talks with Trinamool will focus on these seats, party sources told NDTV. The Trinamool insists that it cannot spare more than two seats as the Congress won those many the last time.

The grand old party sources say they too can question the Trinamool about the 18 seats that it lost to the BJP in 2019.

In the 2019 polls, the Trinamool won 22 seats, the Congress won two (Behrampore and Malda South), and the BJP secured 18.

In the 2021 Bengal polls, the Congress did not win a single seat.

The talks are also marred by the war of words between the two parties.

Last week, state Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said "the grand old party won't beg for seats from the Trinamool". It drew a sharp and swift response from Mamata Banerjee. "Badmouthing alliance partners and seat sharing can't go hand in hand," she cautioned the Congress.

Mr Chowdhury has also accused the Bengal's ruling party of being busy "serving Prime Minister Narendra Modi" rather than strengthening the opposition alliance.

The Trinamool criticised Mr Chowdhury for making "callous remarks" and cautioned the Congress high command to rein in their state chief.

The INDIA bloc, an umbrella group of like-minded parties to take on BJP, is looking to firm-up the seat sharing arrangement.

"INDIA alliance will be there across the country. In Bengal, the TMC will fight and defeat the BJP. Remember, in Bengal, only TMC can teach a lesson to the BJP and not any other party," Mamata Banerjee said late last month at a gathering in North 24 Parganas.