Mamata formally Ditches Congress, announces TMC candidates for all 42 Lok Sabha seats

NEW DELHI: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Sunday announced candidates for all 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal. Former Team India cricketer Yusuf Pathan is the partys candidate from Baharampur and former MP Mahua Moitra has been fielded from Krishnanagar.

In a first, the party announced its candidate list for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls from a mega rally at Kolkatas Brigade Parade Ground.

Addressing the rally, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said, "Today, I will bring before you 42 candidates for the 42 Lok Sabha seats in Bengal."
Lakhs of supporters and numerous block-level leaders attended the rally.

Christened Jana Garjan Sabha, the mega event featured three platforms, including a cross ramp, with Banerjee and TMCs national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee taking centre stage as the main speakers.

Putting to rest all speculation of a possible tie up with INDIA bloc in Bengal, Mamata said the TMC will contest elections alone in the state, and "will also fight in Assam and Meghalaya".

She further said her party was in talks with Akhilesh Yadavs Samajwadi Party for contesting in "one Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh".

Shortly after the announcement of the list, the Congress slammed Mamata for going solo in the state.

"The Indian National Congress has repeatedly declared its desire to have respectable seat-sharing agreement with the TMC in West Bengal.

The Indian National Congress has always maintained that such an agreement has to be finalised through negotiations and not by unilateral announcements.

The Indian National Congress has always wanted the INDIA    group to fight the BJP together, "Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said on X (formerly Twitter).    —TOI