“Don't need Mamata's pity”: Congress leader Adhir Chowdhury on Bengal seat sharing

Bengal Congress President Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Thursday asserted that his party does not require Mamata Banerjee’s “pity” after Trinamool Congress agreed to offer only 2 out of West Bengal’s 42 Lok Sabha seats to the grand old party. The Congress and the Trinamool Congress are both a part of the INDIA Alliance, and the issue of seat sharing in West Bengal has been a ubiquitous issue of contention between them.

"The real intention of Mamata Banerjee is out. They are saying that they will give two seats to us in West Bengal. Those seats already have Congress MPs. What new are they giving us? .We won these two seats by defeating Mamata Banerjee and the BJP. What favour are they doing to us?" asked Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. The Congress MP further stated that his party does not need Mamata Banerjee’s “pity” to win the elections. "Who will trust her? It is Mamata who needs Congress to win... Congress can fight and is capable of winning more seats on its own. We will show,” he added.

Previously, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress Supremo Mamata Banerjee had stated that only TMC workers can teach a lesson to the BJP workers in the state. “Only TMC can teach the BJP a lesson in West Bengal and set a model for others across the country. No other party can do it,” said Mamata Banerjee.

West Bengal is just one of the many states where the INDIA Alliance is divided over the contentious issue of seat sharing. As per reports, the AAP and the Congress have hinted at contesting the Lok Sabha elections separately.

"I fail to understand what kind of alliance this is. There is an atmosphere of distrust among each other. The differences are evident, but despite that they are saying 'we will fight against Modi'. They are well aware that PM Modi's work has disturbed their mathematics. They will get a 440-volt shock in the 2024 Lok Sabha election," said BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi hitting out at the INDIA Bloc for their indecisiveness over the issue of seat sharing and reacting to the rumor of Nitish Kumar becoming the convener of the alliance.