Mamata Banerjee declared Trinamool Congress candidate list for Bengal polls

The Trinamool Congress ran out of patience finally on Friday and released the party’s list of candidates for the West Bengal assembly polls in a royal snub to the Congress. Curtains came down on the drama over seat- sharing between the two UPA partners after weeks of negotiations and haggling by both the sides.

Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee announced her candidates on 228 seats, leaving only 64 seats for the Congress. She warned that if the Congress failed to come up with its list by Monday, her party would field nominees on those seats, too.

“ There is hardly any time left for the candidates to complete the formalities, including filing of affidavits. Moreover, we have to ensure that nomination forms reach our candidates in remote areas,” Mamata said at a crowded press conference at her residence near Kalighat temple in Kolkata.

The railway minister claimed that she has released the candidates list after discussions with the Congress leadership. Training guns at the dilly dallying by the Congress over the issue, Mamata said: “ We waited for 18 days after the announcement of election dates, how long can we wait?” “ If the Congress accepts our offer, I will be happy,” she said, adding that her party’s candidates had been drawn from different walks of life, including retired bureaucrats, renowned economists, doctors, film stars and teachers.

The party list has 34 women and 42 candidates belonging to the minority communities. The hope of a pre- poll alliance between the two UPA partners in Bengal has entered a phase of uncertainty with the TMC going ahead with the announcement of its candidates. The Congress had been asking for at least 70 seats.

The election committee of the WBPCC met on Friday evening and forwarded a list of 90 candidates to the AICC for approval. “ Why didn’t the Trinamool announce its list of 294 candidates,” Adhir Ranjan Chaudhuri, Congress MP from Murshidabad, said.

He said the TMC has “mistreated” the Congress. WBPCC president Manas Bhunia sought to remind the TMC that their alliance is “ a must to root out the Left Front from the state”. In the 2009 general elections, the Congress- Trinamool alliance had won 26 seats out of the total 42 in Bengal.

The TMC move comes in the wake of the failure of the talks between Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee and Mamata.

“ We are still hopeful that the TMC will reconsider our request and bring the necessary changes in the list,” Bhunia said. Emerging out of the election committee meeting, a section of the Congress leaders expressed their willingness to go it alone in the six- phase assembly polls.

The two parties had contested civic polls separately in 2010 after they failed to reach a conclusion on seat- sharing.