Overview
- Mamata Banerjee, leader of the Trinamool Congress, has declared that her party will contest the elections for Bengal's 42 Lok Sabha seats independently, only considering a pan-India alliance with the Congress after results are declared.
- Banerjee's decision has been met with criticism from the BJP, with Amit Malviya calling it a 'sign of desperation'.
- Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, state Congress chief, has been a key factor in the breakdown of the Congress-Trinamool alliance in Bengal, having been opposed to it from the start.
- The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has also declared that it will contest all Lok Sabha seats in Punjab, further fracturing the unity of the INDIA opposition bloc.
- The decisions by Trinamool and AAP to go solo in their strongholds reflect a persistent tussle between the Congress and regional forces within the INDIA bloc.