Regional parties to decide who will form next government: TMC

Regional parties will decide who would form the next government at the Centre after the 2014 Lok Sabha poll, Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandopadhaya today said.
"Regional parties will call the shots," Bandopadhaya told reporters here.
Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee had recently floated the idea of a Federal Front of anti-Congress and anti-BJP regional parties before the next Lok Sabha poll.
Asked if the TMC would fight alone in the 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal or it would forge an alliance, he said, "Our leader has already said that our party will fight in all 42 seats."

Bandopadhaya took a dig at the meeting between former West Bengal chief minister Budhhadeb Bhattacharjee and Samajwadi Party leader Sanjay Dalmia who was later disowned by the Samajwadi party.
Dalmia had met CPI(M) leaders at the state headquarters last Sunday, fuelling speculation over a Third Front. On Monday, however, the SP leadership stated that Dalmia had no relation with the party.

Speaking about the panchayat polls Bandopadhaya referred the Supreme Court directive which declined to reschedule the election dates and said, "We fully respect the court's verdict. The state government has started making arrangements for the polls."
The party also decided to postpone the date of its annual 'Matryrs' Day' rally held each year on July 21 by a month to August 21.

"We have decided to hold the Sahid Divas rally on August 21 because of the panchayat polls," he said.