TMC announces candidates on all 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal, big jolt to I.N.D.I.A alliance

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Sunday, March 10, announced its list of candidates for all 42 Lok Sabha seats of West Bengal,  dropping a few sitting MPs and introducing fresh faces like former cricketers Yusuf Pathan and Kriti Azad. The party has renominated 16 sitting MPs and fielded 12 women.

The list has dealt a severe blow to the I.N.D.I.A alliance. TMC was one of the strongest ally of the opposition alliance but months after its formation, TMC has made it clear that it will fly solo and won't share even a single seat with I.N.D.I.A alliance.

Yusuf Pathan will contest from Baharampur, and Kriti Azad will vie for Bardhaman-Durgapur. Shatrughan Sinha will contest from Asansol. Notably, Haji Nurul Islam replaces Nusrat Jahan in Basirhat, and Mahua Moitra remains in the fray for Krishnanagar, for the second consecutive term.

The list was announced during TMC's mega rally at Brigade Parade Grounds in Kolkata, where West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the party will contest Lok Sabha elections alone in all 42 seats in the state.

Though TMC's list was released today, it was clear for quite some time that all is not well in the I.N.D.I.A alliance. When TMC and Mamta Banerjee snubbed Rahul Gandhi when his Bharat Jodo entered West Bengal, it made the rift public.

Congress' Jairam Ramesh has reacted to TMC's list and has posted on X that, 'The Indian National Congress has repeatedly declared its desire to have a respectable seat-sharing agreement with the TMC in West Bengal. The Indian National Congress has always maintained that such an agreement has to be finalised through negotiations and not by unilateral announcements. The Indian National Congress has always wanted the INDIA group to fight the BJP together.'

In 2014 Lok Sabha elections, TMC secured 34 seats, Congress 4 and BJP 2. In 2019, though TMC continued to win the maximum seats, but it was much lower than its 2014 performance. In 2019 Lok Sabha elections, TMC got 22 seats, Congress won only 2 seats and BJP secured 18 seats.