TMC-Congress alliance takes a hit as Bengal units reject seat-sharing plan ahead of bypolls

Kolkata/New Delhi: The growing distance between the Trinamool Congress and Congress at the state level is set to come under the spotlight in the upcoming bypolls, with attempts at a seat-sharing arrangement in West Bengal failing and the TMC entering the contest in Assam’s Nagaon.

The Mamata Banerjee-led TMC had reportedly sounded out Congress about coordinating their electoral strategy for the October 6 bypolls in Bengal. Under the proposed arrangement, Congress would retain Nandigram while TMC would contest Rejinagar, allowing the two parties to avoid splitting the anti-BJP vote.

However, the proposal did not find favour with the West Bengal Congress leadership, which has decided to contest both seats on its own. The state unit's position is understood to be driven largely by its attempt to rebuild an organisation that has suffered a prolonged electoral decline in Bengal.

Congress had already announced its candidates for the two constituencies before TMC declared its nominees. The Trinamool subsequently fielded Sanchita Pradhan Dey from Nandigram and Rabiul Alam Chowdhury from Rejinagar, effectively ruling out any seat adjustment.

The failed understanding highlights a growing contradiction in the relationship between the two parties. While TMC and Congress have continued to coordinate on several issues in Parliament and have jointly opposed the BJP on matters involving the alleged misuse of government agencies and institutions, their state-level electoral interests remain sharply different.

A senior leader cited in reports said the broader coordination between the parties remains intact, but argued that bypolls are largely local contests and decisions on such seats are consequently driven by the respective state units.

The situation has acquired another dimension with TMC entering the Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll in Assam, where Congress is locked in a direct contest with the BJP.

TMC has nominated Abdul Salam, setting up the possibility of a triangular contest.

The development could complicate Congress's electoral calculations in Nagaon, particularly because the party is seeking to take on a BJP that has recently strengthened its position in Assam.

The presence of a third Opposition candidate could potentially divide votes that might otherwise have consolidated behind Congress.

The Assam move is particularly significant in the context of the Bengal developments.

Although there is no formal indication that TMC's decision in Nagaon was a direct response to Congress refusing a seat-sharing arrangement in Bengal, the two developments have brought the uneasy equation between the parties into sharper focus.

For Congress, the decision to fight independently reflects its effort to regain political space rather than remain dependent on alliances.

For TMC, contesting beyond its traditional stronghold signals an attempt to expand its electoral footprint while maintaining its own political identity.

The Bengal bypolls, therefore, could become more than a test of individual candidates.

They may also offer an indication of whether the broader Opposition understanding between TMC and Congress can survive when the two parties' organisational and electoral interests collide on the ground.