Loka Sabha Polls 2024: On TMC's refusal to share seats in West Bengal, Congress's Adhir Ranjan's reaction

He made the comments after reports said that the TMC is considering contesting in all 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal.

“Those who think that I am not a factor, it’s okay. I don't care about anyone. Our leaders have already spoken. I have reached here only by contesting and winning. We know to contest and win,” Adhir Ranjan said while speaking to the media in Siliguri.

Adhir Ranjan's reaction made the scathing remark after Bengal's TMC General Secretary Kunal Ghosh's "we are ready to contest all 42 seats" remark.

Trinamool Congress is a constituent of the INDIA bloc alliance along with the Congress, and there were expectations of seat sharing between the two parties for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal.

However, TMC took the decision to field candidates on all the 42 seats in West Bengal during a meeting between the top leadership of the party and the Murshidabad district leadership.

Murshidabad district comprises three Lok Sabha seats—Jangipur, Berhampur, and Murshidabad. In the 2019 elections, Congress bagged the Berhampur seat, while the Trinamool Congress (TMC) won the other two seats.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Adhir Ranjan won the Berhampur seat, while the TMC claimed the Jangipur and Murshidabad seats.

However, signalling a shift in strategy, last month Mamata Banerjee clearly indicated that there would be no seat-sharing arrangement with the Congress or the Left Front in the state.

While addressing a rally in December, Mamata Banerjee said that the INDIA bloc will be contesting the polls across India but in Bengal only TMC can defeat BJP, according to media reports.

During the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stunned many by capturing 18 out of the 42 seats.

The Congress secured only 2 seats, while Mamata Banerjee's party, the Trinamool Congress, emerged as the dominant force by winning 22 seats during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.