West Bengal assembly elections 2021: TMC, RJD may form pre-poll alliance

Kolkata, Mar 01: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejaswi Yadav is expected to meet West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today to discuss over the pre-poll alliance between the two parties. It is reportedly said that the Leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly and the TMC chief will deliberate on a possible seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming West Bengal election.

Earlier, an RJD delegation comprising of senior leaders held talks with TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee, who is considered to be the No 2 in the ruling party. It can be noted that there is a sizeable Bihar population residing in West Bengal's Asansol, Howrah and Kolkata areas.

If the ruling TMC and Yadav's RJD form a pre-poll alliance, it is expected to give a major boost to Banerjee as her party is facing a tough poll battle against the resurgent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and also the Left-Congress alliance.

Also, the RJD has announced to contest the Assam Assembly Elections 2021 scheduled to be held in three phases beginning March 27. The results will be declared on May 2.

Tejashwi Yadav, who spearheaded the RJD campaign in Bihar election 2020, on February 27 visited Guwahati and declared that his party will contest the upcoming Assam polls with the "like-minded" parties. The Yadav scion informed that RJD is in talks with Congress and Lok Sabha MP Badruddin Ajmal-led AIUDF to finalsie a pre-poll alliance.

Earlier, the ECI has announced that the West Bengal Assembly elections 2021 in eight phases. While 30 Assembly seats will go to polls during the first phase on March 27, the second phase will be conducted on April 1 which would cover 30 Assembly segments.

The third and fourth phase of the polling will be held on April 6 and 10 for 31 and 44 constituencies respectively. The fifth phase of polling will be on April 17 for 45 seats, the sixth for 43 seats on April 22, the seventh phase on April 26 for 36 seats and the last and eighth phase on April 29 for 35 seats.