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INDIA will select PM candidate after Lok Sabha elections: Mamata
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, a key INDIA bloc ally, said on Monday that “it would be better” to decide on the grouping’s prime ministerial candidate after the 2024 general elections instead of worrying about it now.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, a key INDIA bloc ally, said on Monday that “it would be better” to decide on the grouping’s prime ministerial candidate after the 2024 general elections instead of worrying about it now.
Banerjee is open to talks with the Congress for sharing seats in West Bengal, she added in an interaction with journalists in Delhi ahead of Tuesday’s meeting of the bloc. When pushed for a name, and whether she would back Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s candidature for PM, she said: “ Kharge is a good man, but I can’t take any decision alone.”
She also refused to accept that the 2024 election result is a forgone conclusion in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party,and slammed the ruling dispensation for suspending opposition MPs in Parliament. “If opposition is suspended, who will raise the voice of the people? Voice of people is choked.”
Banerjee’s comments underlines the broad political direction of the opposition bloc might consider. After the formation of the INDIA bloc in June, this is the first time Banerjee has addressed the issue of a prime ministerial face of the alliance.
“It would be better that we announce our PM candidate after election. Why should we decide now? The first priority is to save the people and the motherland,” Banerjee said.
The INDIA bloc will meet on Tuesday after a gap of more than three months. This time the allies are expected to demand timelines be set on seat sharing that has been delayed due to the assembly elections in five state.
While some allies have informally blamed the Congress for the delay, Banerjee tried to downplay this, and also the drubbing the party received in three Hindi heartland states, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.
“We always learn something from elections. The BJP won the (three) states (in 2003), but lost the Lok Sabha poll (in 2004),” she added.
The Trinamool Congress chief rejected suggestions that the opposition alliance has little time to prepare. “ We are always ready for the polls. It will take us just 15 days to make the preparations. The meeting couldn’t be held earlier but now we are meeting,” she said. “If you take a policy decision, better late than never.”
Banerjee also said that Bahujan Samaj Party Mayawati, a prominent Dalit leader in northern India, won’t join the alliance. “She won’t come. You know her problems. All political parties are under pressure from (investigative) agencies. Some parties are unable to bear the pressure.”
Like other members of the opposition, she blamed the media for at least part of their problems, and said that it would be good if Voter Verifiable Public Audit Trails be checked for all votes cast in the election and not just around 5% as is done currently.
The TMC chief has been advocating for early completion of seat talks, but seemed to suggest that it’s not too late to finalise this now, although the INDIA bloc parties first met in June. “Let the parties discuss it. We will be together. Tomorrow, there is a great opportunity. You have to be mentally prepared for seat sharing.”
