No seat-sharing deal with Cong, TMC to go solo in Assam, Meghalaya in LS polls

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaMarch 6, 2024

A major setback to the ongoing seat-sharing deal between the Congress-led India Bloc and Trinamool Congress has hit a dead end as the TMC has decided to go alone in the upcoming Lok Sabha election from Assam and Meghalaya.

The TMC blamed Congress for their “unreasonable” demand in the seat-sharing deal.

In Assam, the TMC was an ally of the Congress-led 15-party United Opposition Forum (UoF). However, TMC leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev announced that there would be no seat-sharing deal with the Congress party in the upcoming polls.

“There will be no seat sharing with the Congress-led India Bloc. We will contest four seats in Assam. But there will be an alliance with the India Bloc while forming the government,” Dev told reporters on the sideline of a meeting on Wednesday.

Dev alleged that Assam Congress ie being run by the BJP and said all the opposition leaders of the state are with BJP. “We will fight for the people of Assam. Our fight will not be for power but for the rights of the people,” she said.

“The TMC is a good alternative. We will be in opposition,” she further said.

“TMC had 28 per cent vote share and congress only 9 per cent in the last assembly elections. But Congress still wants to field their own candidate. The seat-sharing should be based on some rationale,” she added.

Assam has 14 Lok Sabha seats, currently 9 under BJP, 3 held by Congress, and one each by AIUDF and an independent candidate.

In Meghalaya, the TMC will field candidates from Tura Lok Sabha seat.

Commenting on the development, Assam opposition leader Debabrata Saikia said: “The pressure created by BJP through CBI and ED compelled them to fight the elections alone. It is their decision. We have nothing to say. But it will be good for us if we are united.”