Mamata Banerjee announces candidates for all 141 KMC seats

Kolkata, May 2 (ANI): Ahead of the civic polls in West Bengal, Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee on Sunday announced candidates for all 141 seats in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) elections here.

Addressing a press conference, while releasing her party candidates' list for the civic polls slated to be held on May 30 along with 81 other municipal bodies in the state, Ms. Mamata blamed the Congress, for the collapse of the alliance for the civic polls, saying: "Despite their refusal to leave a single seat to us in Murshidabad (a Congress stronghold), we gave them 25 here."

Replying to a question, Ms. Mamata having single-handedly upstaged CPI(M)-led Left Front from all south Bengal seats including the metropolis during the last Lok Sabha elections, said: "There is no question of a friendly fight (against Congress). In war, the term (friendly fight) does not exist."

Warning the Congress at the Centre, Ms. Mamata said, "Just because we have entered into an alliance doesn't mean they can say or do anything."

"It's not a Congress government, it's a UPA government and the Congress has 206 seats," she said in an oblique reference to its power as the second largest UPA constituent with 19 Lok Sabha seats.

On Saturday, West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC) announced candidates for 88 seats following clearance from the party high command.

It decided to go it alone after Trinamool Congress offered them only 25 wards against their demand for 51, including the ones they had come first or second in the last KMC polls in 2005. (ANI)