INDIA Not Staking Claim to Form Government Today Does Not Mean It Won’t Tomorrow: Mamata Banerjee

INDIA Not Staking Claim to Form Government Today Does Not Mean It Won’t Tomorrow: Mamata Banerjee

Keywords: Mamata Banerjee, India, Government Formation, West Bengal

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said that India’s decision not to stake claim to form the government at the Centre today does not mean that it will not do so tomorrow.

“We have not staked claim to form the government at the Centre today because we want to give other parties some time to think,” Banerjee said after a meeting of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) here.

“We are confident that we will be able to form the government at the Centre with the support of other parties,” she added.

The UPA, which is led by the Congress party, emerged as the single largest alliance in the recent Lok Sabha elections, winning 173 seats. However, it fell short of the 272 seats required to form a government on its own.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Narendra Modi, emerged as the second largest alliance, winning 185 seats. The BJP is currently in talks with other parties to form a government.

Banerjee said that the UPA will also hold talks with other parties to explore the possibility of forming a government.

“We are open to talks with all parties who are willing to support us,” she said.

The Congress party has already said that it is willing to support the UPA from outside. The Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party, and the Nationalist Congress Party have also expressed their willingness to support the UPA.

The BJP is also in talks with other parties, including the Shiv Sena, the Telugu Desam Party, and the Akali Dal.

It remains to be seen whether the BJP or the UPA will be able to form a government at the Centre.