Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is likely to visit Punjab on February 21. According to state secretariat Nabanna sources, The West Bengal Chief Minister is likely to hold a meeting with her Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann.
"Along with Bhagwant Mann, there are possibilities that Aam Admi Party (AAP) chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will also be there in the meeting. The Chief Minister is also likely to visit the Golden Temple and offer prayers there," said the Nabanna sources.
Talks On Forming Front Without Congress May Happen:
It may be recalled that on several occasions both Mamata and Trinamool Congress (TMC) national secretary Abhishek Banerjee had cleared that they will "walk alone" in West Bengal in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Mamata was heard even slamming the Congress for joining hands with CPI (M) and also for refusing TMC’s proposal of seat sharing.
Following this decision and also after AAP ruled out any possibility of a seat-sharing arrangement with the Congress in Punjab, this meeting is very crucial. According to political observers there is a possibility that talks of an alternative front can be initiated in the meeting sans Congress and CPI (M).
Mamata Wants Regional Parties To Unite:
The political observers are also of mind that it is time to see whether the TMC chief Mamata Banerjee also visits other states to hold talks with other regional parties. Though no such hints were confirmed by Nabanna, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had time and again stressed that the regional parties, whoever is strong, should unite to defeat Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“Congress can contest in 300 seats. We don’t know whether they can win even 40 seats. The regional parties will contest in the remaining seats and Congress should not interfere there,” said Mamata earlier this month from her agitation programme against the central government.
