Along with her aggressive campaign to oust the Left government in West Bengal, Railway Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee is also pursuing an ambitious plan to occupy the Left’s space in national politics too.

To spread its wings out of West Bengal and acquire the status of a national party, the Trinamool is preparing to contest polls in Arunachal Pradesh and Jharkhand. Mamata, according to insiders, is also in touch with leaders of some regional parties.

This would be the first time that the Trinamool would be contesting the Assembly polls in Arunachal Pradesh. The Bihar-based JD(U), whose leader and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar enjoys a good rapport with the TMC chief, will also make a debut in the state with the aim of securing the status of a national party.

However, Mamata's game plan in Arunachal is not going down well with the ruling Congress, which is facing a tussle within its rank and file. The Trinamool is welcoming to its fold Congress MLAs who have rebelled after being denied tickets. Already six such Congress legislators have joined the Trinamool and are likely to be fielded by the party.

While Mamata is already denying elbow space to ally Congress in West Bengal, at the Centre too she is learnt to be in close touch with regional parties which are feeling threatened by a resurgent Congress. Her recent bonhomie with Nitish Kumar and the move to accommodate BJP ideologue Sudheendra Kulkarni in an important railway panel are being seen as attempts to emerge as a key player in central politics too.

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