Trinamool forays into Punjab elections without AAP

Unlike in the past, the Punjab elections on February 4 will be a fierce multi-cornered contest with several ‘greenhorn’ political parties throwing their hat into the electoral ring.

Mamata Banerjee’s All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) is the new kid on the block on the Punjab political landscape.

The TMC is seeking to spread its footprints in the northern state. The party, which was seeking an alliance with the formidable Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), came out with its first list of candidates on Thursday announcing names of some former ministers and MLAs as party nominees.

The TMC may or may not be hoping for a seat in the treasury benches, but would want to garner a vote share to count on.

The party had a few months ago appointed former Congress leader and ex-MP Jagmeet Singh Brar as the president of its Punjab unit. After his expulsion from the Congress, Brar formed the Lok Hit Abhiyan, which now is a part of the TMC.

The TMC is banking on Brar to build its organisational structure in the SAD-BJP ruled state.
The party feels the upcoming elections will be a good opportunity to spread its wings outside West Bengal.

In September, Brar had announced unconditional support for the AAP from outside.
The TMC was hopeful of a pre-poll alliance with Kejriwal’s party, a plan which the latter grounded.

Mamata will campaign for TMC candidates in Punjab in the coming days. The party is, however, non-committal on the number of seats it would contest.

The going may be tough for the TMC in Punjab, given that the AAP did not feel the need to have an alliance with Mamata’s party.

Brar termed the development an “immature self goal”.

“We patiently tried till the last minute for the alliance to happen, but unfortunately, Kejriwal deserted Mamata Banerjee and clearly buckled under the pressure of Modi’s vindictive attacks on Trinamool...” he said.

The TMC last month inaugurated its state head office in Chandigarh in the presence of former railway minister and All India party vice president Mukul Roy among others.