TMC to abstain from voting in upcoming vice-presidential polls

In an obvious blow to the so-called unity of Opposition parties, West Bengal’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) has decided to abstain from voting in the upcoming vice-presidential election since they were not consulted over the choice of the Opposition candidate.

“We disagree with the process of announcing the Opposition candidate without keeping TMC in the loop,” senior leader Abhishek Banerjee told the media on Thursday (July 21).

He added that they were neither consulted nor was anything discussed with them. “So we can’t support the Opposition nominee,” said Banerjee, Trinamool Congress national general secretary. This means that the TMC will not support former Rajasthan governor Margaret Alva, the Opposition parties’ consensus candidate for the vice-presidential poll to be held on August 6.

Also read: Margaret Alva is Opposition’s candidate for vice presidential polls

Abhishek Banerjee also said that there is no question of TMC either backing the NDA candidate, Jagdeep Dhankhar, the former governor of West Bengal. After a meeting with party lawmakers, TMC decided to abstain from the vice-presidential election.

Both the BJP and the Opposition had urged TMC to extend support to their respective candidates. While Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar had appealed to the TMC to support NDA’s candidate, NCP chief Sharad Pawar reached out to TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee and Delhi Chief Minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal asking for their support for Margaret Alva.