TC, Cong to launch joint election campaign in West Bengal

2011-04-03 19:10:00
Last Updated: 2011-04-03 19:18:56

Kolkata:

Trinamool Congress and Congress will launch a joint campaign for the coming West Bengal Assembly polls with Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh spearheading the attack against the ruling Left Front.

The decision was taken on Sunday at a meeting between Trinamool Congress Chief Mamata Banerjee and Union Finance Minister and senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee at his residence here before he left for North Bengal for electioneering.

After the 30-minute meeting, Banerjee told reporters that both the alliance partners agreed to hold the joint election campaign.

"Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will launch the joint campaign in North Bengal, which figures in the first round of the six-phase polls in the state," she said.

Banerjee said she planned to begin her campaign in North Bengal on April 12 or 13. 54 constituencies in North Bengal will go to polls on April 18.

She said the two allies would urge the Election Commission to allow them use of microphones for campaign from April 9. The loudspeakers were banned in view of various examinations.

Banerjee claimed that acting on her request to the Finance Minister to waive or reduce the 10 per cent excise duty on branded clothing and hosieries announced in the Union Budget, Mukherjee had agreed to do something positive in the interest of people involved in the sector.

"So people involved in this sector have nothing to worry now. Pranabda has promised to do the best for them," she said.

Courtesy:Sify News