Kolkata: The Congress and the Trinamool Congress have made significant progress in clinching a seat-sharing deal for the 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal for the coming polls, a Congress leader indicated on Wednesday.
An emissary of state Congress President Pranab Mukherjee went to Trinamool Chief Mamata Banerjee's residence on Wednesday evening and conveyed his greetings to her "for leading the tough fight" against the state's ruling Left Front.
Responding to queries from reporters, the emissary, state Congress leader Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, said: "The greetings are not only for the Lok Sabha polls, but also for the next Assembly polls (due by 2011)."
Asked whether his comments signified that the alliance has been finalised, Roy said: "Politically speaking, you can say that. But I am not authorised to say anything more."
Praising Banerjee, Roy said she is the leader in the fight for giving voice to people's struggles against the "oppressive rule" of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M).
Trinamool Congress all-India general secretary Mukul Roy returned the greetings to Mukherjee and described him as a leader of eminence.
On Tuesday, apparently exasperated with the Congress' hard bargain for seats, Banerjee had given it a two-day ultimatum to come clear on the alliance.
Mukherjee and Banerjee announced the two parties' decision to fight the polls together after a late night meeting March 1.
But state Congress working president Subroto Mukehrjee said: "Nothing has been communicated to us officially."
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