Merger, alliance or just help? Buzz after back-to-back Congress-TMC huddles in Delhi

KOLKATA: Congress and Trinamool Congress on Wednesday denied there was any proposal or discussion about the Mamata Banerjee-headed party merging with Congress even as TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee met Lok Sabha leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi for 90 minutes at 10, Janpath. On Tuesday, Mamata and Congress parliamentary party chairperson Sonia Gandhi were in a huddle for close to an hour.

Massively weakened after Bengal polls and still haemorrhaging from large-scale exodus of MLAs and MPs, Trinamool has dropped its anti-Congress rhetoric and opposition to a Rahul Gandhi-led INDIA alliance and is hoping that Congress will stand by it in its hour of need.

A Trinamool senior privy to the ongoing developments in Delhi, termed as "baseless" reports that Congress had broached merger talks. He also did not want to comment on a possible TMC-Congress alliance in Bengal for the upcoming bypolls in Nandigram and Rejinagar assembly seats and Basirhat Lok Sabha seat. "Too early to say," he said, adding, "As two parties, the discussions were not about merger but how we work together."

Terms of seven municipal corporations, including Kolkata and Bidhannagar, and 118 municipalities end between Nov 2026 and Feb 2027. After the May 4 results, almost all Trinamool-controlled civic bodies are defunct due to mass resignations, with administrators overseeing day-to-day functioning. Bengal panchayat polls are scheduled in 2028.

Sharing on X a photo from the Rahul-Abhishek meeting, Trinamool said, "The meeting reflected a shared commitment to safeguarding democracy, upholding constitutional values and working for welfare of every Indian. INDIA (bloc) stands united."

Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X that reports on what supposedly transpired in the meeting between Sonia and Mamata on Tuesday were "completely inaccurate". "The meeting was very cordial and many personal matters were talked about, given the long relationship they have had," he said.

Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh refused to speak on the supposed "merger" talks. "The leadership has spoken and beyond that we cannot say any-thing," he said.

Mamata Banerjee came to office in Bengal in 2011 with help from Congress, which was even a part of its cabinet. But the two parted ways in 2012 and have since had a testy relationship. The growing speculation over a possible rapprochement exposed fault lines within Congress’ Bengal unit. Congress veterans Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Abdul Mannan emerged as the most vocal opponents of any such move.

“I have full faith in the Congress leadership. No alliance with Mamata Banerjee. If you mix sewage water with clean water, it will pollute the clean water,” Mannan said.

Chowdhury, a bitter critic of Mamata, struck an even sharper note. “The same Mamata Banerjee who once broke Congress and ensured that the party is wiped out from Bengal, now finds herself compelled to seek support of the Gandhi family,” he said.

State Congress chief Shubhankar Sarkar adopted a more calibrated stance. “Anyone who accepts Rahul Gandhi as future PM and head of Congress and the opposition is welcome to the party,” he said. At the same time, he appeared to draw a distinction between Mamata and those facing allegations of corruption. “The doors are not open for those trying to take shelter under the Congress umbrella merely to escape corruption charges,” he said.

But even striking an alliance could be tough for Trinamool at the moment. Rebel MLA and Bengal LoP Ritabrata Banerjee said the faction headed by him was the “real Trinamool Congress” and “we are not merging” with Congress. “The number of MLAs with us has already crossed 64. It may become 65 tomorrow when another MLA joins us. Naturally, we are the real Trinamool. Who meets whom in Delhi is their matter and immaterial to us,” he said.