Bengal elections: Mamata offers 40 seats to Cong

NEW DELHI: Mamata Banerjee is ready to give Congress only around 40 seats for the West Bengal elections, leveraging the fact that her stamp on anti-Left mood gives her the bargaining chips in seat-sharing.

The Trinamool offer has dampened the Congress spirits, but the lead UPA player has decided to hinge its fortunes with Mamata at all costs.

The dominant feeling in Congress is that Mamata is riding a popular wave against the Left and the party has to be part of the alliance, either as a respectable partner or even playing the second fiddle.

Congress feels that the impression of the party wrecking the alliance would attract it the charges of "betrayal" among the groundswell of anti-Left voters. Such a turn of events could be fatal for the party which aspires to benefit in the long run from the space created by the Left's ouster.

Congress is focussing on winning more seats from whatever can be negotiated -- a gameplan brightened by estimates of alliance's high winnability.

Sources said the party leadership has sent out a message that the alliance has to be struck at all costs. It is feared that a sign of discomfort among partners can trigger another wave of exodus from Congress towards Trinamool.

The Bengal plan contrasts with Tamil Nadu where Congress has bargained hard with ally DMK even if it does not fetch good results. The overall AICC strategy for upcoming polls to five states is to not disturb alliances so that UPA's winnability is not compromised.

The Congress brass has dismissed as spoiler the Bengal unit chief Manas Bhuiyan's demand for one-third of 294 seats but it thinks a "respectable" number would help in mobilising the party cadre for electioneering in six-phase polls.

While stingy Mamata has dashed the Congress hopes of tapping the favourable mood to build a strong bloc of MLAs, there is still optimism that the railway minister would listen to the importance of giving the alliance an "inclusive" character.

Congress insiders argued it would be in Trinamool's interest that the partywas seen as partner worth noticing because it would enthuse its cadre and carry a positive message across the state.

Congress is pinning its hopes amid the gloom of the meagre offer on the 2009 Lok Sabha experience when Mamata had considered a similar plea and parted with 14 seats out of 42.