Calcutta, March 22: The Congress today released the names of 83 candidates for the first and second phase of polls, virtually thumbing down Mamata Banerjee’s proposal for a seat-sharing deal.

Party candidates for Purulia, Bankura, West Midnapore, Howrah, Hooghly, Nadia and East Midnapore were announced in Delhi today.

Although Mamata had been keen to forge a partnership and had spoken several times to the state party chief and the AICC general secretary in charge of Bengal, the Congress had insisted that nothing was possible until the Trinamul Congress severed ties with the BJP-led NDA.

The Trinamul chief had earlier said she would not wait for an “indefinite period’’ before finalising her candidates for the 93 seats ? in the 294-seat House ? which she had held back expecting the Congress to respond.

Told about the Congress’s move, Mamata tonight said: “I will not say anything today. Let me get the details first.”

All Congress MLAs of the seven districts have been re-nominated. Nirbed Roy, a former Trinamul MLA will contest from Tamluk in East Midnapore.

Trinamul had suspended Roy after he joined forces with Subrata Mukherjee who rebelled before the Calcutta Municipal Corporation polls last year and joined the Congress.

Observers said what has to be seen is whether Mamata fields candidates against the Congress legislators.