Trinamool names 228 candidates, leaves 64 seats for Congress (Lead)
March 18th, 2011 - 8:29 pm ICT by IANS
Kolkata, March 18 (IANS) The Trinamool Congress Friday went ahead on its own and released a list of 228 candidates for the upcoming West Bengal assembly elections, leaving only 64 seats for the Congress which was bargaining for more in their inconclusive seat-sharing talks.
Trinamool chief and Railway Minister Mamata Bannerjee told reporters here: “Today I am declaring the list of 228 candidates of Trinamool Congress. I could have announced the list of remaining 64 seats. But as an alliance scenario with the Congress is on, we are not announcing it. But we have the list other 64 candidates and if Congress doesn’t agree, then we will announce those also.”
The talks between union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Banerjee were inconclusive March 15 as both could not reach an agreement on seat-sharing for the April-May assembly elections in West Bengal.
The Trinamool has given its ally Socialist Unity Centre of India-Communist (SUCI-C) two seats. In its list of 228, Trinamool has fielded 34 female and 42 minority candidates.
“Doors of alliance with Congress are not closed yet. On the basis of the discussion we had last night (Thursday), I have left 64 seats for them. If the Congress leadership accepts it, I will be happy,” Banerjee said.
“I wanted an alliance, that is why I waited for a positive nod from the Congress from March 1-18. But I cannot wait forever because very few days are left for the process of first phase of elections. Although we are small parties, but we are the real party in West Bengal,” she said.
Earlier, in 2009 the Trinamool and the Congress, along with the SUCI-C, had joined hands before the Lok Sabha polls and decimated the Left Front that has been ruling the state since 1977. The alliance had bagged 26 of the state’s 42 seats in the Lok Sabha.
Both the Congress and the Trinamool decided to break the alliance for May 30 civic polls last year after failing to clinch a seat-sharing deal.
- Mamata names 228 candidates, leaves 64 seats for Congress - Mar 18, 2011
- Trinamool names 228 candidates, leaves 64 seats for Congress (Roundup) - Mar 19, 2011
- NCP forges alliance with Trinamool, gets one seat - Mar 23, 2011
- Unhappy with Trinamool, Congress mulls options in Bengal - Mar 19, 2011
- Trinamool, Congress seal seat-sharing deal for Bengal polls (Intro Roundup) - Mar 22, 2011
- Jolted by Trinamool, Congress to discuss developments - Mar 18, 2011
- Jolted by Trinamool, Congress to wait for Sonia's return (Lead) - Mar 18, 2011
- Congress seals pact with Trinamool for West Bengal assembly polls (Roundup) - Mar 22, 2011
- Congress, Trinamool seal pact for West Bengal assembly polls (Second Lead) - Mar 21, 2011
- WB polls: Displeased Congress to take a final call after Holi - Mar 19, 2011
- Will form government, not worried by alliance: Buddhadeb (Lead) - Mar 23, 2011
- Congress, Trinamool reach accord for Bengal polls (Lead) - Mar 21, 2011
- Artists, singers, actors in Trinamool list - Mar 18, 2011
- WB polls: Mamata allots 64 seats to Congress - Mar 18, 2011
- Congress-TMC strike deal for WB polls - Mar 21, 2011
Tags: ally, banerjee, civic polls, communist, congress leadership, doors, few days, lok sabha polls, mamata, march 1, minority candidates, nod, pranab mukherjee, railway minister, socialist unity, suci, trinamool congress, union finance minister, unity centre, west bengal assembly elections