West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has asserted that the Trinamool Congress will return to power with a two-thirds majority in the 2026 assembly elections in the state and ruled out the possibility of stitching any alliance with the Congress, according to the TMC's mouthpiece.
The mouthpiece Jago Bangla reported that Banerjee made these remarks during a meeting of the TMC legislative party on Monday.
According to that report, Banerjee told her legislators, "Trinamool will return to power with a two-thirds majority in 2026. We do not need anyone's help. We will fight alone and win alone."
The report also stated that Banerjee expressed confidence that the TMC will form the government for a fourth consecutive term and said the party's preparation for the state elections should begin.
Banerjee's remarks evoked a strong reaction from the West Bengal Congress unit, which said such 'unnecessary remarks' were a result of panic in several parties that seem to have understood the mistake of ignoring Congress after the Delhi polls.
It was found in the Delhi assembly elections that division of votes between the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress led to the victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party in several seats.
In the wake of the recent Delhi assembly bypoll results, in which the AAP faced huge setbacks, the winner BJP has drawn parallels with West Bengal, claiming that Banerjee's welfare schemes may not translate into electoral gains.
Referring to the loss of AAP, BJP leaders, including Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari and state party chief Sukanta Majumdar, have suggested that the people of Bengal, like those in Delhi, will reject the ruling party's 'freebies'.
Amid such discussions, Jago Bangla quoted Banerjee as saying, 'The opposition's claims will not deter us. Our schemes have benefitted the people, and they will stand by us again.'
The TMC's decision to go solo also holds significance in light of speculation over the Congress's next move in West Bengal.
After the removal of Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury as state Congress president and the appointment of Subhankar Sarkar, who is perceived to be softer towards the TMC, political circles were abuzz with talks of a possible Congress-TMC understanding.
However, Jago Bangla quoted Banerjee as stating: 'There is no question of an alliance. Trinamool will fight alone and secure a historic victory. The Congress doesn't have any presence in Bengal. We don't need any alliance with Congress in Bengal.'
Referring to AAP's defeat in the Delhi polls, Banerjee has blamed the lack of coordination between the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress for their poor performance in the Delhi Assembly elections. According to her, the absence of a united front led to their defeat, benefitting the BJP.
During the meeting, Banerjee pointed out that both AAP and Congress had failed to coordinate in the national capital, similar to the situation in Haryana during the state elections last year.
"Just as the Congress remained rigid in Delhi, AAP did not work with Congress in Haryana. The lack of unity between them cost them dearly," the party mouthpiece said, quoting Banerjee.
Responding to Banerjee's remark, West Bengal Congress president Suvankar Sarkar wondered if his party did not really matter, why were the regional parties so bothered about the Congress?
"Actually, after the Delhi poll results, many regional parties have realised that it was a mistake to ignore the Congress in that election. The problem with parties such as AAP and those who think like them is that they are nothing more than the B-team of the BJP. The TMC seems to have forgotten that it was the Congress which helped the TMC come to power in 2011 by defeating the Left Front," he said.
While the TMC, the Congress, and the Communist Party of India-Marxist are part of the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc at the national level, the Congress and Left have fought in an alliance in the 2021 assembly polls and 2024 Lok Sabha polls and oppose both the TMC and the BJP in West Bengal.
The West Bengal BJP, however, declined to attach much importance to Banerjee's remarks and the reactions they evoked from the grand old party.
"Whether TMC fights alone or in an alliance with the Congress, the result would be the same. The TMC is going to be defeated by the BJP. The people of the state want to get rid of the politics of corruption and nepotism of the TMC regime," BJP leader Rahul Sinha said.
The West Bengal Assembly elections are likely to be held in April-May next year.
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