Hours after Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee said that the party will contest alone in West Bengal in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also declared that it will fight on all seats in Punjab.
Speaking at a press conference, Punjab Chief Minister and AAP leader Bhagwant Mann said that there will be no alliance with the Congress party.
“In Punjab, we will not do anything (alliance with Congress) like that, we have nothing with Congress,” Mann said.
Banerjee on Wednesday said that there were no talks with the Congress and her party will be contesting in West Bengal for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections alone.
Speaking in Howrah, on her way to Purba Mednipur for a meeting, the CM also said that her initial proposal has been rejected by the party, referring to the two seats for Congress party in the Lok Sabha elections.
“My initial proposal has already been rejected by them. Then our party took a decision that we will fight alone in Bengal. We are a part of the INDIA alliance. They are doing a rally (Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra) here… Even as a matter of courtesy, did they even once inform us, say, ‘Didi, I am coming to your state’. I have no relations with the Congress as regards Bengal,” she said.
She added that right now there have been no discussions on seat sharing, while asserting that all regional parties are together.
“We have said that the Congress can fight 300 seats and the regional parties will fight in 72. The Congress should not interfere there. But if it does, we will see what is to be done,” the CM said.
Fissures between the Congress and the Trinamool Congress (TMC), constituents of the INDIA bloc, emerged when Congress’ West Bengal chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that it does not need the “mercy of Mamata Banerjee” and that there was no question of agreeing to TMC’s offer of two seats for the Congress party.