The issue of a post-poll tie-up between the Left and the Congress has been brewing since Manmohan Singh’s remarks that it was a “privilege” to work with the Left. Although CPM general secretary Prakash Karat has said that there was no question of supporting the Congress, his colleague Sitaram Yechury kept the window open saying any move would follow the results on May 16. Pranab Mukherjee, too, on numerous occasions has not ruled out seeking Left support. But Rahul’s statement today is seen as more “definitive” and prompted TMC leaders — so far silent on the issue — to open up.

Several times, Mamata has said that the Congress-TMC alliance was on the condition that the former would not tie up with the Left in a post-poll situation, a claim that was rejected by Mukherjee recently.

TMC leaders are aware that their options are limited. “Even if the Left does poorly, it has about 40 seats to offer to the Congress and our best-case scenario is only half of that,” said a senior TMC leader. “Let’s see how Karat then deals with the Congress.”