Attempting to infuse hope in the INDIA bloc, which has been witnessing turmoil in terms of the equations between key allies, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said the alliance will fight the Lok Sabha polls together in Bihar and that Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee is "very much" a part of the opposition grouping.
Addressing a press conference during his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, Mr Gandhi said on Tuesday, "If you look at Mamata ji's statements, she is very much part of the INDIA alliance... Of course, Mr Nitish Kumar has left the INDIA alliance and he has gone to the BJP. You can guess what the reasons are for him leaving."
"It's fine, we'll fight in Bihar as the INDIA alliance. So, I don't agree that lots of our partners are not part of the alliance," he asserted.
The Congress leader's confidence has taken many by surprise because Mamata Banerjee has repeatedly said that she will take on the BJP alone in West Bengal and figure out alliances after the Lok Sabha polls. While some reports have suggested that she has softened her stand and is willing to leave five Lok Sabha seats for the Congress, the Trinamool's equation with bitter rivals CPM could be a stumbling block.
Ms Banerjee had earlier accused the Congress of joining hands with the CPM to assist the BJP in the elections.
On the Bihar front, the opposition bloc suffered a huge setback when one of its principal architects, Janata Dal United chief Nitish Kumar, switched sides and joined hands with the BJP and the NDA late last month. The alliance is banking on what's left of the Grand Alliance - the Lalu Yadav-led Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Congress and the Left parties - to win a good number of seats in the crucial state, which, at 40, sends the fourth-highest number of representatives to the Lok Sabha.
The alliance is also on shaky ground in Punjab, where the AAP has said it will contest all 13 seats alone. The situation is unclear in Uttar Pradesh, which has 80 Lok Sabha seats, with the Samajwadi Party sending mixed signals on how many seats it is willing to forgo for the Congress.
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