The Congress party's pursuit to stich a larger anti-BJP alliance for 2019 is already facing challenges from quarters within.
This week the party was confronted with massive rumblings within its West Bengal unit where the state leadership is bitterly divided over alliance options.
While one section of the West Bengal Congress led by party chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury is advocating a pact with the opposition left front in the state, another camp led by Congress secretary and local MLA Mainul Haque has batted for an alliance with the ruling TMC.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi had to meet all state leaders individually earlier this week to dissipate the crisis amid possibilities of Haque and some of his supporters switching over to the Mamata Banerjee led TMC, should Gandhi decide to go with the Left.
"We will not quit the Congress and will await the decision of Congress President Rahul Gandhi before taking any decision," Haque told PTI.
He felt no vote transfer to the Congress happened in the last assembly poll after the party aligned with CPI-M. "It will be suicidal to go with the CPI(M) again as it has no standing in the state anymore today," he said.
Chowdhury, however, said his aim is to strengthen the party and all should work towards it.
"Some legislators have left the party and if some more are inclined to leave, no one can stop them."
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