Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Kunal Ghosh on Friday took a swipe at the Left parties in the West Bengal. Speaking to the media, he said that Left parties have lost their grounds in the state. "There is no 'Left' here. 'TMC ke saath baithne ki aukat bhi Left logo ki nahi hai..." Ghosh added. The TMC leader also talked about the Opposition bloc, I.N.D.I.A, and the matter of seat sharing ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in 2024.
On alliance with the I.N.D.I.A bloc, Ghosh said that TMC chief Mamata Banerjee has already confirmed that the party will be supporting the Opposition bloc in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. "Mamata Banerjee has made it clear that the I.N.D.I.A boc will fight in the upcoming elections and TMC will give leadership against the anti-BJP fight in Bengal. We defeated the BJP in 2021," he said.
"CPI(M) and Congress together got zero and tried to give an advantage to the BJP by dividing votes. The final decision regarding seat sharing will be taken by Mamata Banerjee," Ghosh added.
'TMC will lead fight against BJP in Bengal'
Earlier on Thursday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asserted that the TMC would spearhead the fight against the BJP in the eastern state in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls. She also accused the CPI(M) and the Congress, its key allies in the opposition bloc of colluding with the BJP in West Bengal. She highlighted the BJP's labelling of opposition figures as "thieves" and contended that the country has transformed into a "democracy run by central agencies".
"The CPI(M), BJP, and the Congress have forged an alliance in West Bengal and are actively campaigning against us. The INDIA opposition alliance will confront the saffron camp nationwide, with the TMC spearheading the battle against the BJP in West Bengal," Banerjee asserted.
I.N.D.I.A bloc's 4th meeting
On December 19, the fourth meeting of the Opposition bloc took place in the national capital and was attended by leaders from 28 parties. Congress leader KC Venugopal told reporters that the seat-sharing talks should start without delay and there is a proposal for "joint rallies" also. The meeting was held in view of escalating tensions between the government and the Opposition over the suspension of MPs during the winter session of Parliament.
The alliance, led by the Congress, took shape with the primary objective of mounting a combined challenge to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in next year's general elections. The first meeting of the joint opposition convened in Patna on June 23 and the second meeting was held in Bengaluru on July 17-18. The third meeting happened in Mumbai on August 31-September 1.
Lok Sabha elections 2024
It should be noted here that general elections are expected to be held in India between April and May 2024 to elect the members of the 18th Lok Sabha. The tenure of the 17th Lok Sabha is scheduled will end in June 2024. The previous general elections were held in April–May 2019. After the elections, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance formed the government at the Centre, with Narendra Modi continuing as Prime Minister for the second straight term.
(With inputs from agencies)
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