This Article is From Mar 18, 2011

Bengal polls: Mamata announces candidates' list, gives Congress deadline till Monday

Kolkata: After differences over-seat sharing with the Congress, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) today unilaterally announced its list of candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal. The state goes to the polls in six phases starting April 18.

As per the list, the Trinamool will contest on 228 seats, leaving ally Congress with 64 seats and another two to the Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI).

"We will be happy if Congress fields its candidates in 64 seats. Else, we will put our own candidates there including those from the minority community," Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee said, in a veiled warning to Congress, at a crowded press conference while releasing the candidate list.

Ms Banerjee said the announcement of the list followed discussions with the Congress' central leadership and the agreement arrived at between both parties on Thursday night.

The Congress, meanwhile, gave a guarded response to the development.

"It is a very recent development. Top leadership of the party will consider and take a decision on it," AICC general secretary (in-charge of WB) Shakeel Ahmed said immediately after the unilateral announcement of candidates' list by Ms Banerjee.

Sources had earlier told NDTV that Ms Banerjee spoke to Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee late on Thursday night and is believed to have agreed to accommodate the Congress' demand.

On Thursday, the Congress sought to downplay the delay in clinching a seat-sharing deal with Trinamool. State Congress President Manas Bhuniya said it was taking time because of procedural work only.

''We have to bear with it. We want the alliance with Trinamool Congress in a very positive way. We are moving in that direction,'' Bhuniya told reporters in Kolkata after the party's state election committee meeting.

He said Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee was also discussing the issue with the Congress leadership in a cordial manner and "we are very hopeful of the alliance."

His remarks came a day after Mamata had threatened to announce the list of her party candidates if the Congress leadership failed to finalise the seat-sharing deal.

The Trinamool chief, however, later deferred by a day the deadline set by her for the Congress to arrive at an agreement on seat-sharing deal.

On Tuesday, the seat-sharing talks between Mamata Banerjee and Pranab Mukherjee were inconclusive. While Mamata was reportedly not willing to give more than 62 out of the 294 seats, the Congress wanted at least 70 seats, sources said.

(With PTI inputs)
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