Rahuls team stumbling block in Cong-Trinamool talks

In 2006,he won by a margin of 6,000 votes against the CPM nominee but if a TMC candidate is fielded,CPM will romp home to victory. Conversely,in an alliance with TMC,Bhuniya is not only sure of returning but is likely to have a berth if Mamata forms a government as a coalition partner.

So the stakes are high for him to ensure that the alliance works out. Thats why a mellow Bhuniya said: 228-64 can still be a workable arrangement. It is not that the talks had hit a dead end.

Pranab Mukherjees son Abhijit Mukherjee has quit his SAIL job and waits to be nominated for the Nalhati Assembly seat in Birbhum. Banerjees list of 64 includes Nalhati the message is she will accommodate Abhijit Mukherjee. Should the talks break down and should Banerjee want to be vindictive,Abhijit Mukherjee will be one more casualty in case of a triangular contest. So Pranab Mukherjee has a big stake,too.

If two of the most prominent Congress negotiators have such a personal interest to see that the alliance works,what has led to the current stalemate?

State Congress leaders said that ever since Rahul Gandhis Youth Congress membership rejuvenation drive in West Bengal took off a year ago,it has resulted in a new power centre thats exerting pressure now on the modalities of the talks. Just a fortnight ago,the revamp of the state Youth Congress was complete with Mausam Noor a member of the Ghani Khan Chowdhury family having made it to the presidents post.

Elections to the district jobs are over and a band of young Congress faces have come up,their political ambitions just taking off. Under the tutelage of Rahuls trusted lieutenants from other states,they are also eyeing tickets. Initially,this young lobby began with a demand for 30 seats but today its willing to settle for 10.

The day after Mamatas unilateral announcement,there were frantic queries from Congress quarters in Delhi about the possible fallout of going it alone. There are two views being communicated from here: One,Mamata is riding a wave so strong that if the Congress doesnt board the ship,it will be left stranded; two,a split in the Opposition votes would harm Mamata,too,and so she will blink in the game of nerves.

But if the mood in the TMC is any indication,this seems way off the mark. Mamata,leaders close to her say,is mentally prepared to go it alone though she hopes Congress president Sonia Gandhis intervention will resolve matters by Sunday. She is even prepared to give up a couple of seats, say her aides,an indication that she would prefer not to take any chances in an election that,for the first time,promises her Writers Buildings.