Kolkata, Mar 18: Dictating terms to Congress, Trinamool Congress today unilaterally announced its list of 228 candidates for the election to 294-member West Bengal Assembly and set a Monday deadline for Congress to accept the 64 seats allotted to it.
Stung by Trinamool's action, Congress said it would decide whether to contest the 64 seats its ally allotted to it or all the 294 assembly seats in the state.
Adopting a take-it-or-leave-it stand and brushing aside Congress' plea for more time to finalize a seat-sharing deal, TC chief Mamata Banerjee said "we will be happy if Congress fields its candidates in 64 constituencies after seat adjustment. Else, we will announce our candidates in those seats by Monday."
Announcing the candidates' list, Banerjee told a press conference that she released the list after her discussions with Congress central leadership till last night "and what was agreed upon there".
Criticising the Congress buying time for the seat sharing deal, the Railway Minister said "there is hardly any time left. We have to now go for affidavits and other poll formalities. We have to ensure that nomination forms reach our candidates in remote areas".
The Trinamool supremo said she had waited for long "and whenever the Congress high command desired, we have responded and attended talks".
However, in Delhi, Congress spokesman Janardhan Dwivedi told reporters that his party had sought more time to firm up seat- sharing agreement with Trinamool in West Bengal.
"We want an alliance with Trinamool Congress in West Bengal but further discussion is required. We want some more discussion and for that more time is required," Dwivedi said.
The TC did not allocate any of the 11 seats in Kolkata, including the contentious Kolkata Port seat, to Congress.
Congress has been claiming the Kolkata Port seat arguing that it has a sitting candidate in Kavitirtha which has been renamed Kolkata Port after delimitation.
Dwivedi said "there are different categories (of seats). Some seats are good, some are not good. Some constituencies are considered very good or not good like that. So, actually some more discussions are required."
Reacting to Trinamool's unilaterally releasing the list, Congress general secretary in charge of party affairs in West Bengal Shakeel Ahmed said in Kolkata that the party would take a decision whether it will contest in only the 64 seats allotted to it by Trinamool Congress or all the 294 seats.
"The top leadership of the party will consider and take a decision on it," he said.
Asked about the deadline set by Banerjee for Congress to take a decision on the 64 seats by Monday, Ahmed said "Congress leadership will decide whether it will field candidates in 64 seats or all the 294 Assembly seats".
He said it would have been better "if we had jointly announced the candidates' lists".
Trinamool's candidates announcement followed a prolonged seat-sharing talks with Congress, including a meeting on Tuesday in which Union Fiannce Minister Pranab Mukherjee, AICC leaders Shakeel Ahmed and Janardhana Poojary were present.
Political secrertary to Sonia Gandhi Ahmed Patel had also requested Banerjee on Wednesday to wait till Monday when Gandhi will return from abroad.
TC allocated 44 of the 64 seats to Congress in its strongholds in North Bengal districts and Murshidabad. The rest 20 seats are in South Bengal districts.
TC has fielded former chief secretary Manish Gupta against Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee from Jadavpur and FICCI secretary-general Amit Mitra against state Finance minister Asim Dasgupta in Khardaha seat in North 24-parganas district.
The Trinamool list includes candidates from all walks of life: cine stars Debashree Roy and Chiranjeet, singer Anup Ghosal, theatre personality Bratya Basu, former IPS officers Rachpal Singh, Sultan Singh, H A Safwi and Abani Joardar.
Former CBI regional director Upen Biswas, who had at point of time investigating the fodder scam against RJD chief Lalu Prasad, was also fielded as a Trinamool candidate.
Mamata Banerjee's name is not in the list as she, an MP, had declared earlier that she would not contest the polls and if her party comes to power, she can always become a member of the state assembly within six months.
Banerjee exuded confidence of securing power in the state with two-thirds majority, ending 34-year Left Front rule.
"We nominated candidates after close consideration and we seek people's blessings to remove CPI(M)-led Front from the state and usher in a change for stability and development in West Bengal," Banerjee said.
The Trinamool chief gave a vivid account of the Left front 'misrule' since 1977 during which over 60,000 people were allegedly killed.
She said, "Singur, Nandigram, Netai and many other places still carry the blood stains of poor farmers and our party workers which can never be forgotten.
"We will release our party's poll manifesto on Monday, projecting our plans and programmes for the development of the state and welfare of the people," she added. PTI
