Mamata’s big blow

In a blow to hopes of a grand Opposition alliance against the BJP at the Centre, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee has vowed to go it alone in next year’s Lok Sabha elections.”If the Congress and the CPI(M) fight Mamata Banerjee with the help of the BJP, how can they call themselves anti-BJP? All of them have been playing the communal card (to polarise voters).Further, weighing in on the TMC’s loss in the Sagardighi bypoll, Mamata Banerjee said, “Of course, we lost the bypoll. I don’t blame anyone. In elections, there are victories and defeats. But it is this immoral alliance between the other political parties that we strongly condemn. As part of this unholy alliance, all CPI(M) and BJP votes went to Congress.Significantly, however, the TMC could not open its account in Tripura. The CPI(M) and the Congress, arch rivals in Kerala, came together in the Northeast this time in a bid to oust the BJP from power. However, the combined vote share of the CPI(M) and Congress was only about 33 per cent. Earlier, Mamata had called for Opposition unity to fight the BJP in next year’s Lok Sabha polls.