Pranab Mukherjee, Mamata Banerjee

Calcutta, Oct. 26: The ball has been set rolling for a possible alliance between Trinamul and the state Congress for the forthcoming civic elections and bypolls, sources said today.

State Congress spokesperson and working president Subrata Mukherjee was optimistic about a tie-up with Trinamul.

“We have already begun talks for seat adjustment with Trinamul for next month’s elections to the Howrah Municipal Corporation. More discussions are on the cards for elections to three civic bodies on November 30 and the year-end by-elections to three Assembly seats,” he said after returning from Delhi.

Trinamul state president Subrata Bakshi, believed to be one of Mamata Banerjee’s close aides, said his party was not “averse to forging an alliance” with the Congress. “Preliminary talks for seat adjustment with the Congress for elections to the Howrah Municipal Corporation have already been held. We hope to seal the alliance after Diwali,” he said.

Tomorrow, external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee will hold an emergency meeting of the state Congress’s executive committee where a possible poll alliance with Trinamul will top the agenda. Mukherjee, who arrived here tonight, is overseeing Bengal affairs following Priya Ranjan Das Munshi’s illness.

Elections to the Howrah Municipal Corporation are scheduled on November 30 with the municipalities of Behrampore, Krishnagar and Jhargram. Bypolls will be held at the end of the year in Sujapur in Malda, Para in Purulia and in Nandigram, East Midnapore.

In the May panchayat polls, Mamata was opposed to any poll adjustment with the Congress, though Das Munshi had sent signals. “But things have changed now,” a Trinamul leader said in Calcutta today.

“Fearing erosion in her vote bank, particularly in urban areas after the Nano project left Bengal, Mamata seems keen to join forces with the Congress. After all, the Congress has a traditional vote bank in the state.”

Today, asked about the Prime Minister’s comment that the Nano pullout was “certainly sad”, party leader Partha Chatterjee said: “We did not want (Ratan) Tata to pull out his Nano factory from Singur. He relocated his plant to Gujarat on his own and we are not to be blamed for it.”

A Trinamul leader from Park Circus said: “An alliance with the Congress will help Mamata get back the minority votes she lost substantially in the 2006 Assembly polls because of her BJP links.”

Congress leader Abdul Mannan, speaking about Pranab’s scheduled meeting, said: “If Pranabda is unable to come to the Congress headquarters during the executive committee meeting, we shall call on him at his Dhakuria residence tomorrow to get a seal of approval on the seat-sharing deal with Trinamul.”

Congress and Trinamul leaders have so far discussed the Howrah civic elections thrice.

“In the Left-controlled 50-member Howrah civic board, we have urged the Trinamul leadership to give us 50 per cent of the seats in addition to the eight seats won last time. We look forward to hearing from Trinamul,” said Howrah district Congress president Krishna Chandra Chandra.

Howrah Trinamul president Arup Roy, however, said: “We want the Congress to scale down its demand as we had done better in the 2006 Assembly polls in Howrah.”