The West Bengal chapter of the Congress never had any valuable contribution in fostering the alliance between Trinamool and the party at the Centre. There were critical voices like Deepa Dasmunshi in the Congress throughout the parties tumultuous relationship with Trinamool Congress. The trouble also probably initiated from the fact that Trinamool Congress was formed by breaking away from the Congress and several leaders who chose to stay with the latter, came to grudge Mamata's breakaway group.
Also, while TMC's political fortunes rose steadily, Congress' remained on a perpetual wane. Several prominent leaders from the Congress in West Bengal, like Somen Mitra and Sougata Chatterjee, joined the TMC.
Mamata Banerjee. Reuters.
So, after TMC walked out of the UPA, the fissures just deepened. Very recently, Trinamool MP Somen Mitra also defected and decided to go back to Congress.
Given that the Congress' fortunes in Bengal seem to be mirroring its possible future nationally, several cracks seem to have surfaced within the party in the state. Possibly sensing that the TMC will be a party crucial to the fate of the government at the Centre in the upcoming general elections, several Congress MPs have decided to cross over to Trinamool Congress anew.
CNN-IBN reports that Congress MLA from Sujapur in Malda district, Abu Naser Khan Chowdhury, is set to switch camps and join the Trinamool Congress. Another Congress MLA from Gajole in Malda, Sushil Chandra Roy, is also reportedly planning to join TMC.
The report said: "The decision of the two Congress MLAs to switch camps a day ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls narrows down the race between the Congress and Trinamool Congress for the fifth seat from Bengal. Five RS seats are up for grabs from Bengal this year."
Actor Mithun Chakraborty, painter Jogen Chowdhury and KD Singh - all TMC candidates - have already been assured berths in the Rajya Sabha based on the votes of 187 MLAs, which TMC currently has in the Bengal Assembly. The total number of MLAs in the Bengal Assembly is 293.
Ritabrata Banerjee, a candidate from the Left Front has also secured a berth in the Rajya Sabha, bolstered by the votes of 61 MLAs which the Left parties currently have in the state Assembly.
With the Congress MLAs reportedly crossing over to TMC, the race for the fifth seat, between the Congress-backed independent candidate, sitting RS member Ahmad Saeed Malihabadi and Trinamool Congress's Ahmed Hasan Imran gets hotter. The Left has committed to cast its additional vote in favour of the Congress-backed candidate.
"With two Congress MLAs crossing over, the difference between the two sides for the fifth seat has now boiled down to just one vote. In the eventuality of a tie, the TMC candidate would win by virtue of greater weightage of legislators in the state Assembly. The TMC claims that even a few Left legislators could cross over during the polls tomorrow," the report said.
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