Trinmool Congress keen to contest all 68 assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh

SHIMLA: Trinmool Congress today said it is keen to contest all 68 assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh assembly to emerge as an alternative to BJP and Congress.

"People want change and are looking for third option and we are keen to field candidates on all 68 seats subject to availability of winning candidates with clean image," K D Singh, MP and incharge of northern states, told reporters here.

Accusing BJP and Congress of being "corrupt and power hungry", Singh said that TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee was the only leader in the country with clean image and dedicated to poor and claimed that the response of the people to ideology and programmes of the party was very encouraging.

"The slogan of Maa, Mati and Manus" (mother, motherland and people) given by Mamata Banerjee is catching up with the people who want new dynamic leadership, dedicated to country and its people and we have no doubt about TMC emerging as main political force in Himachal," he said.

Singh, who addressed party rally at Theog in Shimla district 32 km from here, declared state party president Pramod Sharma as candidate from the seat against leader of the opposition in assembly Vidya Stokes.

When asked about accommodating candidates discarded by Congress and BJP, he said that and any candidate with a clean image would be welcome.

Alleging that both the BJP and Congress were two sides of the same coin and had done nothing for the people, Singh said that "no development has taken place in the state and the condition of roads was pathetic".

Opposing FDI in retail, he said that it would not only eliminate Indian traders and hit the farmers but also dwindle employment opportunities.