In a major blow to the INDIA bloc, Mamata Banerjee, the leader of the Trinamool Congress, announced that her party would contest the elections independently in West Bengal. Banerjee clarified that she had not engaged in any discussions with the Congress party and had consistently maintained that her party would fight alone in Bengal. Emphasizing the secular nature of her party, she expressed her determination to defeat the BJP solely in Bengal. Banerjee revealed that she had presented several proposals to the Congress, but they were rejected, leading to the decision to go solo in the elections.
The Chief Minister of West Bengal expressed her dissatisfaction with the Congress party, stating that she was not informed about Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra passing through West Bengal. She emphasized that despite being a part of the INDIA bloc, the Congress did not extend the courtesy of informing her about their visit. This lack of communication led her to believe that the Congress has no connection with her or the state of Bengal. She further asserted that her party is secular and will take decisions at the all-India level to defeat the BJP. The Chief Minister also highlighted that the alliance does not consist of a single party and suggested that the Congress should focus on certain states while allowing regional parties to fight independently in others. The breakdown in the relationship between Trinamool and the Congress was exacerbated by the continuous criticism of the Chief Minister by the Congress state unit chief, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. In a press conference, Chowdhury claimed that Mamata Banerjee came to power in 2011 with the support of the Congress.
