Mamata decided to support Congress after meeting Nitish: JD(U) leader

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has announced that she would back the Congress in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections following the grand old party's Karnataka victory. Janata Dal (United) leader KC Tyagi revealed her decision came after recently meeting her Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar. Kumar proposed the one-on-one joint opposition formula—including support for the Congress—against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Tyagi said.

• Tyagi's statement comes after Banerjee decided to extend support to the Congress in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections following its resounding win in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly elections.
• She said there was nothing wrong with supporting the grand old party.
• To recall, Banerjee earlier approached several regional parties ahead of the general election but constantly attacked the Congress for allegedly rallying against her party.

On the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo's change of mind, Tyagi told NDTV, "Banerjee has given up the intention of forming a non-Congress third front before the 2024 elections... When Nitish Kumar met [her], she appeared positive about forming a united opposition front." "Earlier, her opinion was different... Now she agrees with Nitish Kumar's formula that opposition parties should pitch 'one-against-one' candidates against the BJP."

After its landslide win in Karnataka, Banerjee extended her support to the Congress on Monday, saying, "Strong regional parties must be given priority. Wherever a regional party is strong, the Bharatiya Janata Party cannot put up a fight." "And wherever Congress is strong in their 200 seats or something, what we have calculated, let them fight, and we will support them," she added.

Regarding Banerjee's offer of support, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury told ANI, "She goes to UP, Bihar, but did not come to Karnataka where Congress was fighting. And after Congress's big win in Karnataka, she realized that it is difficult to move ahead without the Congress." However, Karnataka Congress President DK Shivakumar welcomed her support and said her decision was good for opposition unity.

TMC chief Banerjee was earlier among the many opposition leaders who were against the Congress taking a prominent position in a potential alliance against the BJP, even as several efforts to put together a strong joint opposition front ahead of the Lok Sabha elections failed.

Before announcing support for the Congress, Banerjee indicated her party would contest LS polls in West Bengal alone. She also sought support from regional parties to depose the BJP and often slammed the Congress for rallying against the TMC. The TMC-Congress ties deteriorated when numerous Congress politicians defected to the TMC ahead of assembly elections in Meghalaya, Goa, and West Bengal last year.