NEW DELHI — With opinion polls conducted by many agencies showing gains for the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance but short of the majority mark, political circles are abuzz with speculation about an understanding between BJP and Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC). Political sources said there was a strong possibility that Mamata will agree to extend outside support to a Modi-led government in exchange for a generous financial package aimed primarily at easing West Bengal's debt burden. “For her, 2016 is the big election (to the state assembly). She needs a blockbuster package to help revive Bengal's economy. Congress strung her along for years; it didn't deliver,” said a person who did not wish to be identified. TMC's internal estimates place its Lok Sabha tally at 25 to 30, which could give it the single largest block of seats after the BJP and Congress. But sources emphasized that there was no question of TMC formally joining the government. “She's not in any hurry to install ministers in Delhi. More importantly, she has to keep Modi at arm's length distance because of the 25 percent Muslim vote in Bengal. It's a constituency she has assiduously courted; she cannot afford to lose its support by signing a formal agreement,” said a political operative in the know. When contacted for his party's response, TMC spokesperson Derek O'Brien dismissed the suggestion as a canard spread by the Congress and the Left. “This is absolute nonsense. Trinamool is fighting BJP, Congress, and the Left on the ground with equal vigor. There's no question of a deal. We believe that a federal front is the only real option.” — Agencies
