New Delhi, Nov 18 (IANS) Congress MP Pramod Tiwari on Tuesday dismissed speculation over the Trinamool Congress pushing to project West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as the “face” of the INDIA Bloc, asserting that the alliance remains solid and united.

The Trinamool has repeatedly argued that Mamata Banerjee should lead the Opposition coalition against the BJP-led NDA, claiming that the Congress has been unable to effectively challenge the ruling party at the national level. The party has maintained that under Mamata’s leadership, the alliance would yield stronger results.

Responding to these claims, Tiwari told IANS, “Trinamool is with the INDIA Bloc. Our alliance is very strong. I haven’t heard who said what, but Trinamool and all parties in the INDIA Bloc are united and standing strong.”

His remarks come in the wake of the Congress’ dismal performance in the Bihar elections.

The party managed to win only six seats this time, despite an extensive campaign led by Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, and other senior leaders.

The RJD, its ally, also suffered a major setback, winning just 25 seats, down from 75 in the previous election. The NDA swept the state with 202 seats in the 243-member Assembly.

The Congress’ repeated electoral setbacks have fuelled calls within sections of the INDIA Bloc for a change in leadership, with some parties arguing that the alliance must rethink its strategy.

Tiwari also commented on the Special Intensive Review being undertaken by the Election Commission across several states, saying the Congress strongly opposes the exercise.

“Today, leaders of the Congress Legislature Party, presidents of the Pradesh Congress Committees, incharges, and members of our top leadership will hold discussions. This is an effort to strategise against how the Election Commission and the BJP are together stealing the democratic right to vote and committing voter fraud. We will prepare our strategy against this,” he said.

–IANS

sd/rad