Avoid cross-voting among opposition parties in 2024: Mamata Banerjee

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Friday once again emphasised that the anti-BJP forces in the country should avoid cross-voting among themselves in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls to prevent the saffron camp taking the benefit of division in opposition votes.

“Let all the opposition parties get united. Let us ensure a one-to-one fight. Let us all try to work together,” the Chief Minister said while addressing a rally at Samserganj in Murshidabad district.

However, she continued to remain silent as to whether the Congress is included in Trinamool’s blueprint for united opposition. Previously too, she had remained silent on this matter even during her recent meeting with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav in Kolkata.

Political analysts feel that her call for avoiding cross-voting among opposition forces is a reflection of her strategy to ensure that Trinamool doesn’t have to make any compromise in West Bengal in any possible seat-sharing agreement.

According to political analysts, her call for avoiding cross-voting among opposition forces means those parties which are strong in their respective states should only contest against the BJP in that state, and by that calculation, Trinamool will get an upper-hand in West Bengal, where she will not have to make any compromise in any seat-sharing agreement.

Banerjee herself is aware that in West Bengal, multi-polar contest ha to be avoided at any cost. Already the Trinamool leadership has announced that the stand of the party is to maintain equal distance from the BJP as well as the Congress.