Mamata, Abhishek to skip Patna Opposition rally; Trinamool Congress nominates Yusuf and Lalitesh

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee are likely to miss the concluding leg of the Voter Adhikar Yatra in Bihar on September 1. The party has instead nominated Baharampur MP Yusuf Pathan and Uttar Pradesh-based leader Lalitesh Tripathi to represent the party in Patna.

The Yatra being led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is not only drawing large crowds but leaders from major Opposition parties, including Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president M.K. Stalin and Samajwadi Party leader and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, among others.

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Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and party leader Abhishek Banerjee have decided to give the concluding leg of the yatra a skip. Sources in the party said the Congress as well as Rashtriya Janata Dal leadership has extended an invitation to the Trinamool Congress top brass.

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Political angle

The decision by the higher-ups in the Trinamool to stay away from the last leg of the Yatra in Patna, which is seen as a show of strength of the Opposition parties, assumes major political significance. Sources in the party say that Trinamool Congress does not want to be seen in a political campaign with the Congress party, particularly when elections are scheduled in West Bengal in 2026.

In January 2024, when the Congress-led Bharat Jodo Yatra passed through West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress’s response was lukewarm and far from encouraging.

The Congress and the Left Front together comprise the third political force in West Bengal. In most cases, the electoral outcome in Assembly seats depends on the split of votes by the candidates of Left and Congress candidates. The Trinamool Congress leadership accuses Left parties and Congress leadership of working for the BJP and similar allegations are made by the BJP leadership.