Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee’s recent visits to Delhi and parleys with top Congress leaders have triggered possibilities of a new equation in the state’s politics. Banerjee’s increasing proximity to senior Congress leaders is being viewed as a prelude to an electoral understanding between the two parties for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls.

During her latest visit to Delhi, Banerjee had met Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Officially, it was described as a discussion over the Singur issue, but sources in the Pradesh Congress and the Trinamool said both parties are likely to forge an electoral alliance and a seat-sharing agreement in Bengal.

When asked about frequent meetings of Banerjee with Congress leaders like Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi, Dinesh Dwivedi, a senior TMC leader based in Delhi, said: “Till now, our policy has been to maintain equal distance with the Congress and the BJP. But the reason that we opposed the Congress was because they had an alliance with the CPM.” He added, “That hurdle (CPM) is not there now. It seems that the Congress understood the real face of the CPM.”

Dwivedi, a Rajya Sabha member, said: “Banerjee’s Delhi visit also aimed at dispelling the anti-industry image of the party, as well as underlining the fact that Ratan Tata had become the mouth piece of the CPM.”

Trinamool sources said Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh is playing a key role in bringing the two parties together. He visited the state a number of times recently and even shared the dais with Mamata Banerjee during her Singur protest. Senior Trinamool leaders said an electoral alliance with the Congress was a logical conclusion considering the recent developments. “The CPM and the Congress have split. Though nothing has been finalised now, we can certainly move ahead with the Congress,” said a party leader.

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