Kolkata: With the elections to municipalities
and a civic body due in May-June and assembly elections next
year in West Bengal, alliance partners Trinamool Congress and
Congress on Tuesday announced they would contest jointly.
The announcement was made by Trinamool Congress supremo
Mamata Banerjee after a meeting with state Congress working
president Subrata Mukherjee at her residence in South Kolkata.
"We will fight unitedly and in alliance. Let those
conspiring to drive a wedge between us be careful. Their
efforts will not succeed," Banerjee told reporters with
Mukherjee beside her.
Banerjee said TC leaders Mukul Roy, Union Minister
and state party president Subrata Buxi would hold discussions
with Mukherjee to finalise seat-sharing.
Mukherjee, who is the head of the core committee in
the state Congress to oversee the party`s work for the
municipal polls, said "today we held preliminary discussions.
It is not final. I will speak with party president Pranab
Mukherjee. If needed, I will hold further discussions with
Mamata."
Mukherjee said "the more CPI(M) thinks that the alliance
between Congress and Trinamool will not happen, the more it
will be mistaken."
Asked whether Mukherjee`s meeting with her had anything
to do to project him as Trinamool Congress nominee as Kolkata
Mayor, a post he had held earlier, Banerjee told a questioner
"you should not put such embarrassing questions. Mukherjee has
come here as a representative of another party."
The election to 82 muncipalities and the 141-ward
Kolkata Municipal Corporation is scheduled in May-June this
year and the Assembly elections in 2011.
The election to municipalities and KMC is seen as the
`semi-final` before the assembly polls.
The CPI(M)-led Left Front, which faces a political
challenge to make a turnaround after successive electoral
defeats, is now in power in KMC and in a majority of the 82
municipalities.
PTI
