Hemant rings up Didi, Abhishek as JMM looks to contest Bengal polls

Kolkata: Keen to contest in the upcoming West Bengal assembly election, the Hemant Soren-led JMM has reached out to West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee for a pre-poll alliance in the neighbouring state. In its proposal to Mamata, the tribal party said it wanted to contest in seats bordering Jharkhand, north Bengal districts and in which her party lost to BJP in the last election.West Bengal is slated to go to the polls in March-April next year.Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, sources in his party said, spoke to Mamata and Abhishek Banerjee, the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) MP from Diamond Harbour, and proposed an alliance earlier this month.Talking to TOI, a senior JMM leader said, “Didi (Mamata) and Abhishek have assured to look into the proposal in the coming weeks.”JMM general secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya said, “We are open to a pre-poll alliance with the AITC in the West Bengal assembly election. JMM is keen to contest in the neighbouring state next year. However, talks are in the informal stages at present.”Left out of the RJD-led grand alliance in the Bihar assembly election, JMM is keen to expand its political footprint in West Bengal now. Its leaders said the party has a cadre base in bordering districts such as Purulia, Bankura and Jhargram and among the tea tribes in Darjeeling and Alipurduar districts in north Bengal.The tribal party is eyeing to contest in 12 seats in Bengal. Its leaders have also proposed that JMM will contest in seats which the AITC lost to BJP in the 2021 election.Fresh from a thumping victory over the BJP two years ago, JMM had begun preparing to contest in the 2021 assembly election. Hemant had addressed a pre-poll rally in Jhargram, which irked Mamata. Eventually, the party dropped its plans and backed AITC candidates.JMM contested in nine assembly seats in the 2016 assembly election but did not win a seat. “We finished second in the Madarihat assembly seat and third in the Kalchini assembly seat, both in Alipurduar district. In other seats, we did not perform well,” Bhattacharya said.