India, April 19 -- West Bengal Pradesh Congress president Subhankar Sarkar on Saturday expressed confidence that the party would form the government independently, asserting that its principal political contest in the state was against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and not the Trinamool Congress (TMC), which he claimed had "gone behind". Addressing a "Meet the Press" programme at the Press Club here, Sarkar said, "In West Bengal today, our main political fight is against the BJP. TMC is no longer in that position." He said the Congress would contest all 294 Assembly seats on its own, describing it as a decision dictated by "the demand of the time", while declining to project seat numbers. "I am not a fortune-teller. I will not underestimate the wisdom of Bengal's voters," he said, adding, "Congress is in a position to form the government independently." Sarkar said the political equations in the state would change after the results. "On May 4, many equations in West Bengal will change. Once the ballot boxes are opened, calculations will be overturned," he said. Placing emphasis on young voters, he said electoral discourse was being diverted from core issues. "New voters are hearing about ED and CBI raids all the time. But where is industry? How many of our unemployed youth have had to leave the state for work?" he said.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.