Without a single Congress legislator in West Bengal Legislative Assembly post 2021 elections hopes of the Grand Old Party making its presence felt in 2026 polls appears slim. A growing rift between the Congress and Trinamool Congress at national level will prevent the Congress of being a power to reckon with in the next year’s election in the state.
With a brute majority in the state Assembly, the Trinamool has little reason to seek Congress to be a poll partner. Only a Congress- Trinamool closing ranks in at the national level can trigger a rethink in the TMC leadership.
Moreover, there are dissenting voices within the state Congress unit though the state Congress leadership headed by Subhankar Sarkar is keen on an electoral understanding with TMC. But the nay sayers being led by former state unit chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, a known Trinamool baiter, Sarkar will face oppsition in sealing a poll pact with TMC
Congress-Trinamool relations were apparently on a high with Banerjee accepting an invitation from Rahul Gandhi at his new residence. Yet a rift has set in, sources in the Trinamool Congress stated and personal equations, however warm. are unlikely to stop the distancing on part of the TMC.
The proximity between the two leaders can be traced to the recent parliament session when the two parties joined forces and launched a scathing attack on the BJP-dominated Treasury benches. Harassment of Bengali migrant workers in BJP-ruled states, choosing a candidate of the INDIA bloc in the vice-presidential elections and of course the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) issue were the ammunition which came handy.
But inter-party relations went out of sync when TMC leadership turned down an invite to send a senior leader to Rahul Gandhi ‘s protest rally against SIR in Bihar. Meanwhile, Trinamool embarked on setting up a “ginger group” within INDIA bloc sans Congress though it is the biggest constituent of the Opposition.
Events continued to snowball splintering Congress-TMC relations after Rahul Gandhi’s request to Abhishek to depute a senior leader attend a rally at Patna on September 1 on the SIR issue was not accepted. A. choice was given that either Abhisek or his aunt,
TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee attend it.
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Sources in TMC stated that this offer has no takers.Viewing the situation on a local perspective the TMC leadership feels that it’s presence would have little bearing on next year’s elections and the visit can be dispensed with , sources added.
Differences continued to crop up in Congress-TMC relations after the latter decided to distance itself from the Joint Parliamentary Committee on three bills on removal of ministers. The Trinamool has Samajwadi Party and AAP for company.
The Congress is attending the JPC but the staying away of three Opposition constituents will reduce the numerical strength of the Opposition in the committee deliberations. It will weaken Congress’s opposition in the JPC.
The TMC deciding to walk a different path can be traced to recent proceedings in the parliament. The TMC has much stake in this arrest of ministers matter with corruption charges levelled by central probe agencies against several of its leaders some of whom are in custody. But when TMC leaders were lodging strident protest in the well of the parliament recently,the Congress MPs had not joined it.
Peeved no end at Congress breaking ranks on a crucial issue, it was learnt from TMC sources that Abhishek Banerjee was not approached on joining the Patna rally. Merely the September 1 rally was mentiobed.
Sources in TMC stated joint movements with Congress could have been initiated had the latter been “pro-active” in the parliament session. An inter-party relation needs to reciprocal and not onesided, a senior TMC leader said.
Gone are the days when other political parties would be at the beck and call of the Congress, the TMC leader said requesting anonymity. The Congress has little option but to be at the dude if other INDIA coalition partners if it seems their support, he added.
Reverting to the local level, the present state Congress unit chief Suvankar Sarkar’s announcement of the party contesting in all the 294 Assembly constituencies in next year’s elections have taken even his party men by surprise. Former state unit chief Chowdhury has been quick to point out that no such decision has been endorsed by Sonia or Rahul Gandhi.
Even senior Congress leaders feel that in the backdrop of the dismal poll performance in 2021 Assembly elections, Sarkar’s words are tall talk. The state Congress lacks the organisational muscle and support base to back up Sarkar’s “uncalled for”announcement.
Winning a single Lok Sabha seat last year ought to have given Sarkar a picture of the actual state of affairs, a senior Congress leader said. His announcement merely disturbs ties with TMC, he added.
Unless there are issues of mutual political interest, Congress and TMC will now stay apart… With TMC in no hurry to be in s poll pact with Congress, it only wait and watch time for the Grand Old Party.
