Addressing reporters in Murshidabad district, once a bastion of the Congress, party general secretary Jairam Ramesh asserted that the paramount objective of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections is to unseat the BJP government at the Centre. 

 "In an alliance, there's a give-and-take dynamics. We are hopeful of reaching a consensus on a joint seat-sharing formula in the state that satisfies all parties involved. Mamata Ji has expressed her commitment to the INDIA bloc and we welcome this stance," Ramesh said.

 In Murshidabad, a minority-dominated district, the Congress presently has one out of the three seats. Ramesh's confidence in getting the TMC along in the Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal follows Banerjee's declaration on Wednesday that she would not allocate any seats to the Congress, alleging that the party had aligned with the CPI(M) to bolster the BJP's prospects in the state. 

 "I have heard about her statement, but it reflects her opinion, not the consensus of the alliance. Both the TMC and the Congress share the common goal of defeating the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections," Ramesh remarked. Regarding the Communist Party of India (Marxist) leadership's reluctance to engage in any coalition with the TMC in Bengal, Ramesh clarified.

Representatives from the CPI(M), Congress, TMC, and other parties were present in all meetings of the opposition bloc.