Expressing displeasure on Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee's list of 228 candidates for the upcoming West Bengal polls, the Congress on Saturday said the party will take a final decision over the issue after Holi.
"We wanted an alliance with Trinamool Congress in West Bengal...we still want an alliance with them to defeat the Left government in the state... this is the will of the people of West Bengal that that there should be an alliance between Congress and Trinamool Congress," AICC spokesman Shakeel Ahmed told a news channel.
"She announced the list unilaterally yesterday leaving 64 seats for us...we are not in agreement with the list announced. The Congress leadership will take a final call after Holi...we will consider her offer and take a final decision," he added.
Dictating terms to Congress, Trinamool Congress on Friday unilaterally announced its list of 228 candidates for the election to 294-member West Bengal Assembly and set a Monday deadline for Congress to accept the 64 seats allotted to it.
Besides the Congress, two seats were allotted to the Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI).
"On the basis of my talks with the Congress on Thursday, I have left 64 seats for Congress," Mamata told reporters in Kolkata.
Slamming the Congress for the delay in reaching a final conclusion in the seat sharing talks, Banerjee said: "We have waited for 18 days, but why is there still a cloud over it? I respect our alliance and therefore, I am leaving 64 seats."
She said that the TMC will wait till Monday for the Congress to come around or else she will declare the rest of the candidates with the party manifesto.
Both parties had reportedly reached an agreement over 68 seats. But the dispute is now over the quality or winnability of the seats.
The Congress wants three more winnable seats, which the TMC does not want to part with.
The differences between the Congress and the TMC appeared to have diminished following reports on Monday that both parties had softened their respective stances over the sharing the 294-member West Bengal State Assembly.
The state will have elections in six phases. The first phase of voting will take place on April 18, second phase on April 23, third phase on April 27, fourth phase on May 3, fifth phase on May 7 and sixth phase on May 10.
The total number of assembly constituencies in West Bengal is 294, of which 68 are reserved for the Scheduled Castes and 16 for the Scheduled Tribes.
The Election Commission has said that polling will take place at 51,919 polling stations. (ANI)
"We wanted an alliance with Trinamool Congress in West Bengal...we still want an alliance with them to defeat the Left government in the state... this is the will of the people of West Bengal that that there should be an alliance between Congress and Trinamool Congress," AICC spokesman Shakeel Ahmed told a news channel.
"She announced the list unilaterally yesterday leaving 64 seats for us...we are not in agreement with the list announced. The Congress leadership will take a final call after Holi...we will consider her offer and take a final decision," he added.
Dictating terms to Congress, Trinamool Congress on Friday unilaterally announced its list of 228 candidates for the election to 294-member West Bengal Assembly and set a Monday deadline for Congress to accept the 64 seats allotted to it.
Besides the Congress, two seats were allotted to the Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI).
"On the basis of my talks with the Congress on Thursday, I have left 64 seats for Congress," Mamata told reporters in Kolkata.
Slamming the Congress for the delay in reaching a final conclusion in the seat sharing talks, Banerjee said: "We have waited for 18 days, but why is there still a cloud over it? I respect our alliance and therefore, I am leaving 64 seats."
She said that the TMC will wait till Monday for the Congress to come around or else she will declare the rest of the candidates with the party manifesto.
Both parties had reportedly reached an agreement over 68 seats. But the dispute is now over the quality or winnability of the seats.
The Congress wants three more winnable seats, which the TMC does not want to part with.
The differences between the Congress and the TMC appeared to have diminished following reports on Monday that both parties had softened their respective stances over the sharing the 294-member West Bengal State Assembly.
The state will have elections in six phases. The first phase of voting will take place on April 18, second phase on April 23, third phase on April 27, fourth phase on May 3, fifth phase on May 7 and sixth phase on May 10.
The total number of assembly constituencies in West Bengal is 294, of which 68 are reserved for the Scheduled Castes and 16 for the Scheduled Tribes.
The Election Commission has said that polling will take place at 51,919 polling stations. (ANI)
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