Mamata may campaign for Priyanka Gandhi in Wayanad

Sending out a strong signal that all is well between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the INDIA alliance following pre-election acrimony, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is ready to campaign for Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who is set to make her electoral debut from Wayanad, according to party sources.

The Trinamool Congress sources also revealed that Ms. Banerjee had suggested during an INDIA alliance meeting last December that Ms. Gandhi should contest against PM Narendra Modi from Varanasi. This idea, which was initially floated within the Congress in 2019, underscores the strategic unity within the opposition alliance.

Ms. Gandhi will be contesting from Wayanad in a bypoll, following Rahul Gandhi's decision to vacate the seat and retain the family bastion of Raebareli. Rahul Gandhi had secured the Wayanad constituency for the second time by a margin of 3.6 lakh votes in the recently concluded elections.

The rekindled bonhomie between Mamata Banerjee and the Congress is partly due to the electoral defeat of Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, one of Ms. Banerjee's strongest critics, from the Baharampur Lok Sabha constituency after five consecutive victories. Mr. Chowdhury also resigned as the president of the Bengal Congress Unit on Thursday, although there is no official confirmation yet on whether his resignation has been accepted.