Mamata Banerjee to announce TMC’s Lok Sabha candidate list in Kolkata today

Kolkata: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee will announce the party’s Lok Sabha candidate list during a mega public rally at Kolkata’s Brigade Parade grounds on Sunday afternoon, Trinamool Congress (TMC) announced through a social media post earlier today.
“All India Trinamool Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee will announce the party’s candidates for the 42 parliamentary constituencies in West Bengal,” the TMC said in a statement.
The announcement confirms speculations that the TMC supremo is not going to have any seat adjustment with the Congress in West Bengal as part of the INDIA coalition.
The chief minister may announce a candidate from Meghalaya, two from Assam and one candidate from Uttar Pradesh alongside all 42 from West Bengal, TMC leaders said.
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TMC leaders said most of the candidates will be present at the Jonogorjon (roar of the people) rally so that Banerjee could introduce them to the people, making the event unique in the history of Bengal politics.
No party in Bengal had earlier announced its candidates at a public rally.
The development comes around a month after TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee said on January 29 that the INDIA coalition of opposition parties is a reality even if there is no seat adjustment among the partners in certain states.
“What can be done if seat adjustment talks do not take place? We waited for a long time but the Congress did not respond. The INDIA alliance is very much there. Our chairperson (Mamata Banerjee) has said she is part of it. If people want BJP to win, they will win. If people want INDIA to win, so will it be. People will say the last word. This is a democracy,” Abhishek told the media at Diamond Harbour, his Lok Sabha constituency since 2014 on that day.
Mamata had earlier ruled out seat adjustments between the TMC and the Congress in Bengal saying the latter did not hold any discussion and also ignored her offer to let Congress contest 300 of India’s 543 seats and leave the rest for regional parties.
Abhishek’s statement came a day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who was leading his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in north Bengal on that day, said the country will not forgive Bengal if it does not show the right path to the nation.