West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday reiterated her Trinamool Congress’s stand for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, saying that instead of thinking of who will be their leader after the polls, the prime object of the opposition parties in the nation will be to oust the BJP from power.

“There will be a game and we will also participate in that. In Uttar Pradesh, we will play the match jointly with (Samajwadi Party chief) Akhilesh Yadav. People from all religions will participate in this game to oust the BJP from power in 2024,” she said during her sit-in agitation against the Centre over non-payment of dues, which will continue till 7 p.m. on Thursday.

However, during her speech she did not even give any subtle hint on whether her blueprint of an united opposition against the BJP includes the Congress or not.

On the day of her meeting with the Samajwadi Party chief, the Trinamool Congress leadership made it clear that they will maintain a distance from the Congress and instead try to unite the regional parties having strength with their respective states.

On Monday, the Trinamool had sent representatives to attend the strategy sessions convened by Congress President, Mallikarjun Kharge in wake of Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification as a member of Lok Sabha, but the choice of representatives by West Bengal’s ruling party for that strategy meeting surprised all.

None of the two representatives for that starey meeting on behalf of Trinamool Congress are identified as seasoned politicians. Trinamool representative in the strategy meeting from Lok Sabha was Prasun Banerjee, who is basically a footballer- turned-politician. The party’s representative from Rajya Sabha was bureaucrat- turned-politician and first time member of the upper house of the Parliament Jawhar Sirkar. It is perceived by political circles that Trinamool’s representation in the strategy meeting convened by Kharge was just to scale the opposition pulse.

(The story has been published via a syndicated feed.)