West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has announced that she will not be attending the INDIA bloc meeting scheduled for June 1 in Delhi. Addressing an election rally in Kolkata, the Trinamool Congress chief said that her priority lies with ensuring relief for those affected by Cyclone Remal and overseeing the ongoing election process in West Bengal.
"I had informed the INDIA bloc that I won't be able to attend the meeting on June 1 as we still have polls underway in our state, unlike others," she said. "How could I possibly leave when we have a cyclone and relief efforts on one hand and elections on the other?"
"My heart lies with the affected people. While I'm addressing this rally, my priority is ensuring their relief," she added.
Voting will take place on nine seats in West Bengal on June 1, including two seats in Kolkata - Kolkata Dakshin and Kolkata Uttar. The Lok Sabha Elections 2024 counting will take place on June 4.
According to media reports, members of the INDIA bloc are planning to discuss their future plans before the June 4 election results. The Trinamool Congress decided not to join seat-sharing talks in West Bengal and had a heated exchange with state Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. However, Mamata Banerjee said she is open to give outside support to the INDIA bloc after results are announced.
The INDIA bloc's first meeting was in Patna on June 23 last year. The second meeting was in Bengaluru on July 17 and 18. The third meeting was on August 31 and September 1, where they decided to work together for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. The fourth meeting was in Delhi on December 19.
The leaders met again in Delhi on March 31 at the 'Save Democracy' rally, protesting the arrests of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren. Another rally, the 'Ulgulan' rally, was held in Ranchi on April 21.
