RJD to join hands with TMC to contest West Bengal Assembly Elections together?

In the run-up to the highly-anticipated West Bengal assembly elections, RJD said that they were in talks with the TMC to forge an alliance ahead of the poll season, PTI reported. RJD General Secretary Abdul Bari Siddiqui on Sunday informed that RJD's National Secretary Shyam Rajak was in Bengal to discuss the terms of a possible alliance. 

This comes after the TMC, earlier this month, sent an open invitation to all Left parties asking them to line up behind West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee if they wanted the BJP to be defeated in the state. "If the Left Front and the Congress are genuine anti-BJP forces, they should line up behind Trinamool Congress, because Mamata Banerjee's party is the only party fighting against the communal and divisive politics of the saffron party. Mamata Banerjee is the real face of secularism," said TMC MP Saugata Roy. 

It is important however to note that the RJD at present holds no major political ground in the state. 

Meanwhile, the political exodus in TMC continues with 5 former leaders joining the BJP in the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah at his residence in Delhi.  Rajib Banerjee, Baishali Dalmiya, Prabir Ghoshal, Rathin Chakraborti, and Rudranil Ghosh who recently left Trinamool, joined the saffron party in Delhi on Saturday accompanied by BJP leaders Kailash Vijayawargiya and Dilip Ghosh, after Shah postponed his 2-day visit to West Bengal. After their entry, TMC-turned-BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, who was one of the first to incite a rebel within the party, said that by February 28, 'no one will be left in TMC'.

Read: Amit Shah Claims 'Mamata Didi Will Be Left Alone In Trinamool' Amid 'TMC Inrush' Into BJP

Read: After Joining BJP, Rajib Banerjee Says WB Wants 'Sonar Bangla'; Suvendu Makes Huge Claim

West Bengal Elections 

In the run-up to the high-octane State polls, the BJP has gone all-guns-blazing, dispatching its top brass including Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP President JP Nadda to the state to campaign for the upcoming elections. Raking up issues of political violence and corruption, the saffron party has asked Bengal to bring an end to the 'dictatorship' of Mamata Banerjee and once again establish a 'Sonar Bangla'. The TMC, on the other hand, has hit out at the BJP vowing to never allow 'outsiders' to take control of Bengal. 

The West Bengal Assembly with 294 seats will go to the polls in April-May 2021. Trinamool holds 222 seats at present. The BJP made major inroads in the State in the Lok Sabha elections winning 18 seats out of 42 and establishing itself as the major opposition force in the state. It is looking to repeat its unexpectedly stellar performance in the 2021 polls, hoping to secure a majority of over 200+ seats. 

Read: Home Minister Amit Shah Cancels 2-day Bengal Trip After Minor Blast Near Israel Embassy

Read: 5 Ex-TMC Leaders Including Rajib Banerjee Join BJP In Amit Shah's Presence In Delhi