Marking the Congress party’s abysmal performance in the Assam tribal elections in the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council, Trinamool MP Abhishek Banerjee took a dig at the grand old party’s “seat-sharing aspirations in Bengal”.
Banerjee took to social media and said, “One might say their (Congress) seat share aspirations in Bengal are akin to aiming for the stars when they couldn’t quite grasp the ground in their own backyard!”
His statements came as the BJP retained power in the NCHAC in Assam’s Dima Hasao district, by securing 25 seats in the 30-member council elections. The TMC, which contested these polls for the first time, bagged a 7.63 per cent vote share. On the other hand, the Congress party drew blank with a vote share of 8.87 per cent.
Banerjee’s potshots at fellow INDIA bloc member, Congress, stems from the ongoing discussions about the seat-sharing formula ahead of general elections, which are barely months away. The TMC has proposed 2 of 42 Lok Sabha in West Bengal to the Congress, an ally under the Opposition’s INDIA bloc. As per sources, the Congress is not very happy with the allotment.
The Mamata Banerjee-led party is of the opinion that the dominant party in the state should be allowed to take the final call on seat sharing, sources added. The seat-sharing number, as per sources, is based on a clear formula involving a look at parliamentary elections and a look at state assembly elections.