New Delhi: The Congress on Thursday announced that it will contest the upcoming West Bengal Assembly election on its own, fielding candidates in all 294 constituencies across the state.
The decision was taken at a high-level meeting of the party’s central leadership with senior leaders of the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC).
The meeting, held at the residence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at 10, Rajaji Marg, was attended by Kharge, former party chief Rahul Gandhi, Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal, state in-charge Ghulam Ahmed Mir, WBPCC president Subhankar Sarkar, senior leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and MP Isha Khan Choudhury. Several leaders also participated in the meeting virtually.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Mir said extensive deliberations were held on the party’s electoral strategy for the West Bengal Assembly polls, expected to be conducted in April–May.
“After detailed discussions, it has been decided that the Congress will contest all 294 seats independently in West Bengal. Preparations will be made accordingly,” he said.
Mir added that past alliance arrangements in the state had adversely impacted the morale of Congress workers at the grassroots level.
In the 2021 Assembly elections, the Congress had contested in alliance with the Left Front but failed to secure a single seat.
