After receiving a “positive message” from the Congress high command, Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Thursday kept the door open for the alliance by not unilaterally announcing her party candidates’ list, as she had threatened to do.
On Wednesday, she had set a Thursday evening deadline but she extended it. Although speculation is rife that the extension is till Friday evening, neither Ms Banerjee nor any other party leader said anything officially. Speculation of Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee’s impending visit to Kolkata on Friday is also doing the rounds. It is not clear whether or not a Pranab-Mamata meeting late Friday evening is on the cards.
Ms Banerjee had on Wednesday informed AICC general secretary and Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s political secretary, Mr Ahmed Patel, that she would not wait beyond Thursday evening and would unilaterally announce her list of party candidates for the Assembly polls. Mr Patel had called her up and urged her to wait till Mrs Gandhi’s return from UK by March 21. Mr Mukherjee and Mrs Gandhi are believed to have had a detailed discussion on the entire issue late Wednesday night. “Mrs Gandhi requested Mr Mukherjee to ensure that the alliance did not collapse,” sources said. Mr Mukherjee thereafter spoke to Ms Banerjee and asked her to be patient. Political observers believe Ms Banerjee may eventually relent and wait till March 21. “If she does not announce her list on Friday then it means she will agree to wait for Mrs Gandhi’s return because on Saturday and Sunday fall Doljatra and Holi,” a close Mamata aide said.
Meanwhile, in an apparent bid to pressure Ms Banerjee, state Congress president Manas Bhunia held an election committee meeting on Thursday attended by all district presidents, state party functionaries and MPs. Mr Bhunia wanted to shortlist 90 candidates on the grounds that the AICC had sought 90 seats from Ms Banerjee. But leaders like Pradip Bhattacharya objected. He pointed out that as Ms Banerjee had postponed her announcement of candidates, the Congress, too, should not do anything to jeopardise the alliance. However, consensus was reached among the Congress leaders that the party must get the Port and Metiabruz seats for sitting MLAs Ram Pyare Ram and Khaleq Molla. MPs Deepa Das Munshi and Adhir Chowdhury said the sitting MLA must be renominated. Supporter of Ram Pyare Ram demonstrated at the state Congress headquarters, Bidhan Bhavan, to demand that the Port seat be given to him.