When In Bengal...

‘Ideology’ is a stumbling block—that’s the official line on a Congress-TMC tie-up for the assembly polls. But at the grassroots level, netas of both parties (along with those of the BJP!) say they have, or are in the process of, forging an "informal electoral understanding" to take on the Left. Since the secular party can’t be seen having official ties with the saffronites, it’s the juniors who are reaching out—with the tacit blessings of dadas like Pranab Mukherjee and Priyaranjan Das Munshi. As Congress strongman A.B.A. Ghani Khan Chowdhury explains: "In Bengal, our biggest enemy is the CPI(M)...we need to join hands with all the Opposition parties." In effect, this means though the trio will contest all 294 assembly seats, token fights, weak candidates and other poll tactics will be the order of the day.