In its effort to emerge as a major player in national politics, the Trinamul Congress will contest the coming Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh.
Chief minister and Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has already announced her plans to address rallies in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and New Delhi against the UPA government’s decision to allow FDI in multi-brand retail. She may also address a couple of election rallies in Shimla.
The Himachal Pradesh Assembly polls will be held on November 4. There are 68 Assembly seats in the state and Trinamul Congress is likely to contest over a dozen of them.
Party MP K.D. Singh is in charge of the Himachal Pradesh polls. Sources said that former railway minister and party general secretary Mukul Roy will be holding a meeting in Shimla on Wednesday to chalk out a blueprint for party’s maiden entry into electoral politics in the state.
Besides being in power in West Bengal, the Trinamul Congress has significant presence in some north-eastern states. The party has five MLAs in Arunachal Pradesh Assembly and three in Manipur Assembly.
Significantly, the Trinamul Congress has one representative even in Uttar Pradesh Assembly. “Ms Banerjee is very popular all over the country. Hers is the image of a clean, honest and courageous leader who readily sacrifices power for the cause of the people. People will vote for her party in any state,” state urban development minister Firhad Hakim said.