<p>New Delhi: The Congress announced on Thursday that it will go solo in the upcoming <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/west-bengal-india">West Bengal</a> Assembly polls and contest all the 294 seats in the state.</p>.<p>The decision was taken at a key meeting of the party's top brass with senior leaders of the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC).</p>.<p>The meeting, held at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's 10, Rajaji Marg residence here, was attended by Kharge, former party chief Rahul Gandhi, Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal, state in-charge Ghulam Ahmed Mir, state unit chief Subhankar Sarkar, senior leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and MP Isha Khan Choudhury, among others. Some leaders also joined the meeting virtually.</p>.<p>Talking to reporters, Mir said the meeting featured important strategic discussions related to the West Bengal election, likely to be held in April-May.</p>.Assembly Elections 2026 | CPI(M) ready to ally with Congress in West Bengal to 'defeat' TMC, BJP.<p>"After discussions with everyone, it has been decided that the Congress will contest all 294 seats independently in West Bengal. We will make preparations keeping this in mind," he said.</p>.<p>Mir said forming an alliance in the state in the past had demoralised Congress workers at the grassroots level.</p>.<p>In the 2021 West Bengal Assembly polls, the Congress had formed an alliance with the Left Front and failed to win a single seat. </p>
<p>New Delhi: The Congress announced on Thursday that it will go solo in the upcoming <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/west-bengal-india">West Bengal</a> Assembly polls and contest all the 294 seats in the state.</p>.<p>The decision was taken at a key meeting of the party's top brass with senior leaders of the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC).</p>.<p>The meeting, held at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's 10, Rajaji Marg residence here, was attended by Kharge, former party chief Rahul Gandhi, Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal, state in-charge Ghulam Ahmed Mir, state unit chief Subhankar Sarkar, senior leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and MP Isha Khan Choudhury, among others. Some leaders also joined the meeting virtually.</p>.<p>Talking to reporters, Mir said the meeting featured important strategic discussions related to the West Bengal election, likely to be held in April-May.</p>.Assembly Elections 2026 | CPI(M) ready to ally with Congress in West Bengal to 'defeat' TMC, BJP.<p>"After discussions with everyone, it has been decided that the Congress will contest all 294 seats independently in West Bengal. We will make preparations keeping this in mind," he said.</p>.<p>Mir said forming an alliance in the state in the past had demoralised Congress workers at the grassroots level.</p>.<p>In the 2021 West Bengal Assembly polls, the Congress had formed an alliance with the Left Front and failed to win a single seat. </p>