RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, who was anticipated to be visiting the Left-Congress’ mega Brigade rally in Kolkata on Sunday, will not be there. Instead, he may meet Mamata Banerjee.

RJD was believed to be in talks with the Left Front and Congress to be a part of their alliance for the upcoming state assembly polls in West Bengal.

However, a failing seat-sharing deal between the parties may now see Tejashwi moving towards TMC, reported Bengali portal The Wall. Interestingly, the latest development has been coordinated by CPI (ML) Liberation’s Dipankar Bhattacharyya.

In Bihar, Tejashwi had led an aggressive campaign of the opposing parties against the ruling BJP. With RJD, the alliance consisted of the Left Front and Congress. Even though the alliance lost, it gave a hint of what a united opposition can achieve.

Lalu Prasad Yadav’s son deemed a similar alliance in Bengal as well, especially after Liberation’s Bhattacharya identified BJP as its main opponent over TMC. CPIM and Congress, though, wanted to keep the fight primarily against the ruling TMC.

Reportedly, the Left-Congress alliance was ready to sacrifice only Entally and Jorasanko assembly constituencies for RJD. The Bihar-headquarterrd party had demanded Jamuria as well, leading to hurdles in discussion.

Meanwhile, the Left Front and Congress, alongwith their yet-to-be-declared partner Indian Secular Front (ISF), will kick off their campaign for the overhyped Bengal assembly elections at the Brigade Parade Grounds in Kolkata on Sunday.

The CPI(M)-led Left Front and the Congress have already sealed a seat-sharing agreement, while the talks between the Left and Pirzada Abbas Siddiqui’s ISF have also concluded with both agreeing on 30 seats for the newly- floated outfit.

The negotiations between Congress and the Indian Secular Front (ISF) are at present underway, and both sides are hopeful that the differences over a few seats would be resolved, sources said.

“The mega rally at Brigade will mark the beginning of our campaign for the assembly elections. We want to provide an alternative to the anti-people and communal politics of the TMC and the BJP,” senior Congress leader Pradip Bhattacharya said.

“A section of the press, and the TMC and the BJP are trying to project it as a two-cornered contest, but it will be a three-way fight in Bengal,” he added.

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, state Congress president Adhir Chowdhury, ISF’s Siddiqui will be the main speakers at the rally.

Chattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel will also be present, besides state leaders of the Congress and the Left parties.