Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee announced that there would not be a state-level seat sharing arrangement in the Congress-led INDIA alliance here, on Wednesday.
She was talking to reporters before leaving for Purba Bardhaman, where she was scheduled to chair an administrative review meeting.
The TMC would continue to be part of the opposition INDIA bloc at national level, though, she said.
She said her party would fight the election alone in all the Lok Sabha seats here in the state, and that she had no discussions with the grand old party.
"I had no discussions with the Congress party. I have always said that in Bengal, we will fight alone," Mamata asserted.
She also expressed her displeasure about no information about the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's yatra which will be passing through West Bengal.
"I am part of the INDIA alliance. (Congress leader) Rahul Gandhi's (Bharat Jodo) Nyay Yatra is passing through our state but we have not been informed about it," she rued.
She claimed that she was not concerned about what will happen across the country and her party is secular, which is good enough to stop the saffron party in the state.
"I am not concerned about what will be done in the country but we are a secular party and in Bengal, we will alone defeat the BJP."
"Let the Congress fight 300 seats on its own. The regional parties are together, and can contest in the rest. However, we will not tolerate any interference by them (Congress)," she said.
Earlier this week, the TMC chief pitched the idea of regional leaders spearheading the fight against the saffron march in their respective regions, suggesting that the grand old party can independently contest 300 Lok Sabha seats.
The CPI(M)-led Left Front, Congress and TMC are part of the 28-party opposition INDIA bloc.
With Mamata's announcement on fighting the polls alone, the alignment in West Bengal, would be the front comprising left and Congress would take on the TMC and the BJP, making it a tri-corner contest.
West Bengal has 42 Lok Sabha seats, of which TMC holds 22, Congress two and BJP 18. It is learnt Trinamool was doing a hard bargain offering two seats, based on the grand old party's 2019 Lok Sabha election performance.
This did not augur well with the Congress leaders, especially Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury who asserted that his party wouldn't go with a begging bowl to the doors of Bengal's ruling party.
It is pertinent to note that the TMC abstained from the recent virtual meeting of the INDIA bloc, emphasising on the need for Congress to understand its limitations in the state and take a step-back allowing the ruling party to drive the alliance.
The TMC and the Congress had earlier aligned in the 2001 assembly polls and in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. Together they fought the Left Front government in the 2011 assembly polls, scripting the end of a 34-year CPI(M) government.
