The Trinamool Congress unexpectedly declared Thursday that it will not participate in the vice-presidential election, surprising other Opposition parties.
After an hour-long meeting at party leader Mamata Banerjee’s house, the party declared that it could not endorse both Margaret Alva of the opposition and Jagdeep Dhankhar of the NDA since it had “not been consulted” about their respective candidates.
The presidential election results were being counted at the same time as the TMC announcement, and opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha performed considerably worse than anticipated against Droupadi Murmu of the NDA. In private, party leaders expressed amazement at the TMC’s decision, despite the fact that they put on a brave face and claimed it was not unexpected. Before announcing Alva’s name, Congress President Sonia Gandhi reportedly spoke with Mamata twice and received assurances that the TMC would back the Opposition’s choice.
Leaders acknowledged that it was a setback for the Opposition camp’s image. “The battle is symbolic. It is hardly likely that the race for vice president will be close. However, the indication that the Opposition is split will convey a very negative message, according to a senior Opposition leader.
Abhishek Banerjee, the general secretary of the TMC, announced the decision, saying: “We cannot back Jagdeep Dhankhar who, while serving as Governor here, undermined Bengal. You have all witnessed his mindset and viewpoint on the situation. However, the selection procedure for Margaret Alva by the opposition parties was flawed. Without conducting adequate deliberation, they decided on her candidacy.
Abhishek responded, “But it was after the decision on the candidate was taken,” in response to the assertion made by “a senior Opposition leader” that he attempted to contact Mamata Banerjee. We have made the decision to abstain due to the way the opposition candidate was chosen without consulting a party with 35 MPs.
All party MPs attended the meeting on Thursday, according to Abhishek, and they all voiced their opinions. 85% of our MPs agree that we should abstain, according to them.
The vice-president is chosen by the members of both Houses of Parliament. On August 6, there will be an election for the position.
Abhishek responded when asked if this would weaken the unity of the opposition, saying, “Opposition unity is not contingent on choosing presidential or vice-presidential candidates… maybe these polls… Self-interest and ego must be set aside. Fights on the streets, done shoulder to shoulder, can demonstrate opposition solidarity. We warmly welcome any parties who share our desire to battle the BJP on the streets.
He said that after the TMC suggested a few names, there was a period of consultation. But the other parties abruptly summoned a meeting and changed the location to Sharad Pawar’s house. They then decided on a candidate. Margaretji and Mamata Banerjee get along great. However, candidates for president and vice president cannot be chosen based on personal factors.
The TMC claimed it was not consulted on the topic, but the Congress and CPM rejected this and suggested a “secret alliance” between the party and the BJP.
Md Selim, the secretary of the CPM in Bengal, stated: “Some notable TMC leaders’ names were omitted when the CBI recently submitted a chargesheet in the coal scam inquiry. The vice presidential election is the price we are currently paying for it.
“The BJP is trying to destroy the image of the Congress by calling Sonia Gandhi to the Enforcement Directorate headquarters,” claimed Adhir Chowdhury, the state president of the Congress. It was opposed by all opposition parties, who all released remarks about it. In contrast, only the TMC and AAP did. Currently, the BJP and TMC are two sides of the same coin.
The Congress national secretary in charge of communication, Jairam Ramesh, described the TMC action as “unfortunate but not unexpected” in Delhi.
According to a leader of the opposition, Mamata told Sonia that she doesn’t have a candidate but would back one chosen by the other parties. Mamata responded the same way to (NCP head) Pawar when he spoke to her.
On July 17, the day the Opposition gathered and chose Alva, a different opposition leader claimed that Mamata was absent from the phone call. The decision was announced to (TMC MP) Derek O’Brien on the 17th. It is false to claim that they were not consulted, one leader remarked.
According to CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury, when opposition parties gathered on July 17 to discuss the issue, they were informed that the TMC had scheduled a meeting on July 21 to make a decision. “It was advised that they will back the candidate on whom the Opposition parties had reached agreement.”
The fact that Yashwant Sinha was chosen by the opposition parties as their presidential candidate at Mamata’s insistence makes the TMC “turnaround” much more sour for them.
Omar Abdullah, vice-president of the National Conference, hinted that his party would also reevaluate its options as a sign of what might come next. “Opposition unity is somewhat of a mirage. Political parties will ultimately act in their own interests, and that is how it should be. When we were abandoned by “friends” in 2019, J&K saw this. Instead than wasting time chasing ghosts, @JKNC_ needs to do (what) suits the party, he said.
Abdullah skipped the vice-presidential meeting but was there for the Opposition gathering to choose a presidential nominee.
Others mentioned the meeting Mamata held in Darjeeling with Dhankhar and the Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma a few days prior to the BJP’s selection of the West Bengal governor as its vice-presidential candidate. “Three days after he allegedly met with her and Sarma as a courtesy, the BJP made its announcement regarding Dhankhar. A senior leader speculated that Mamata may not have sent any leaders to the Opposition gathering since she had already made up her mind.
Speaking to the media in Kolkata, Abhishek declared that any opposition party was welcome to discuss any problem with the TMC. “We were able to stop the BJP. We are willing to engage in dialogue with any opposition party, including the Congress, AAP, and DMK, he stated.
