Bengal by-elections may see battle of nerves between Congress, TMC

Though the Congress is keen on keeping its alliance with Trinamool Congress intact for next month's by-election to 10 assembly seats in West Bengal, a few constituencies like Goalpokhar and Kalchini in northern parts of the state may become irritants for the two parties.

The relation between the allies became strained after the Congress formed the Siliguri Municipal Corporation board with the help of Left support despite contesting the polls in alliance with Trinamool.

State Congress working president Pradip Bhattacharya said that so far nothing had been discussed in the party on the by-polls and the issue would be deliberated on after the return of WBPCC chief Pranab Mukherjee from Istanbul.

Trinamool state president Subrata Bakshi said it was too early to say anything on how many seats his party would contest in the by-election on November 7. “It will not take much time to settle the issue,” he said.

The 10 seats going to polls are Goalpokhar, Kalchini, Rajgunj and Sujapur in north Bengal and Kanthi (South), Egra, Serampore, Alipur, Bongaon and Belgachia East in south Bengal.

That there would be hard bargaining between the two parties for 7seats was clear from the recent statement of Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee in Siliguri that Congress will have to accept TC's strength and supremacy in the state.

The Goalpokhar seat, which was vacated by Deepa Dasmunshi, wife of ailing former Union minister PR Dasmunshi after becoming MP from Raigunj, might be the bone of contention with the Trinamool Congress possibly insisting on putting up its candidate.

Trinamool sources said many in the party were in favour of fielding a candidate in Goalpokhar to "teach" Deepa Dasmunshi "a lesson" as they felt that she was the one who was instrumental in the Congress forming the board in the Siliguri corporation with the help of CPI(M).

Five seats in south Bengal -- Kanthi (south), Egra, Serampore, Bongaon and Alipur -- were with Trinamool and the party would have its claim on these seats.

Kalchini was another seat in Jalpaiguri in north Bengal which might be claimed by both the parties. In the last assembly election, Congress candidate Paban Kumar Lakra came second in the seat.

WBPCC working president Bhattacharya said, “We expect that those seats won by our party in 2006 elections and those where we had finished second should be given to us.”

Mamata Banerjee had prevailed over the Congress high command to field her party's candidates in this year's by-election to Sealdah and Bowbazar -- the seats which were won by Congress in 2006. Trinamool might try to follow the same model in this round of by-polls.