While the Left Front (LF) declared their full list of candidates for the assembly polls on 13th March’, the Congress-Trinomul Congress (CTC) combine is far from mutual seat sharing as on today the16th March.
According to Congress sources in Delhi, Mamata is perceived as being too rigid to allow Congress reasonable seats both in quantity and quality (winnable seats). Even a talk between Mamata herself and senior most Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee have failed to break the ice. The rank and file of the Congress leadership are against ‘succumbing to the blackmail’ of Mamata.
According to political sources, out of 241 seats in South Bengal, Mamata has offered only 41 seats to Congress of which 15 have been won by LF by a margin of more than 40000 votes. In North Bengal- a traditional stronghold of Congress- Mamata has demanded 30 out of 53 seats which is not only grossly unjustified but amounts to blackmailing as perceived by a major section of state Congress leaders.
According to Congress circle, the rhetoric of Mamata that she can dethrone LF even without the support of Congress need to be corrected before nay meaningful seat-sharing can be achieved.
According to Congress insiders, Youth Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had submitted a list of 30 youth congress candidates in case of an alliance is achieved with Mamata. However, the state leaders feel that if the 60 odd seats offered by Mamata are accepted, then at best 5 winnable youth seats can be accommodated in the list.
Congress has requested Mamata, time till Sunday when Sonia Gandhi would return from abroad, but Trinomul Congress leaders or Mamata has not given any assurance. According to sources, Mamata has conveyed to Sonia Gandhi’s political secretary Ahmed Patel that she would announce her list unilaterally by the evening of 17th March if seat sharing is not reached amicably by that time.