Even as the proposed grand alliance between the Congress and the Trinamool Congress ahead of the Lok Sabha polls is running into rough weather, Mamata Banerjee could not care less as more Congress stalwarts line up to join her party.

The reason for the Trinamool chief’s confidence — she said a day ago she was ready for ekla chalo if Congress does not decide anytime soon — is that her party has been able to make a dent even in North Bengal, considered a Congress stronghold.

While Gautam Chakraborty, a Congress stalwart from Malda, has agreed to switch sides, others like Somen Mitra and Sudip Bandopadhyay have already defected to the TMC, upsetting the Congress leaders who opposed a tie-up with Mamata.

The defections halted for the past two months amid talks of an alliance between the two parties, but have begun afresh after bitter vibes have literally put paid to any hopes of a grand alliance between the Congress and the TMC.

“We want a grand alliance to prevent division of anti-CPM votes in Bengal. But if the Congress does not want to go for it, we will go it alone. We are prepared for any situation. At this moment, if political leaders and workers from any party want to join us, our leader Mamata Banerjee will decide and take them in,” said Partho Chatterjee, Leader of the Opposition. “We are not breaking any party. But if someone wants to join us, it is their decision,” he added.

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