Kolkata, May 15 (IANS) West Bengal Congress chief Manas Bhuniya Saturday said the Congress will cooperate with the Trinamool Congress and the decision of joining the next government in the state will be taken after consultation with the higher leadership.
Addressing media here, he said: "We will extend total cooperation to Mamata Banerjee. Today (Union Finance Minister) Pranab Mukherjee is coming along with (Congress state in charge) Shakeel Ahmed. We will consult with them along with those who have won the polls."
On whether the Congress will be part of the government, Bhuniya said: "We can say only after consulting with the leaders and the legislators. As of now I can only say that we are with the Trinamool and totally support Banerjee.
On the issue of initiating action against Congress MPs who supported dummy candidates, Bhunia said: "State Congress presidents cannot take action against MPs or AICC members. That is for our observers to do who have given reports to the high command".
Bhuniya also accused the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), the major constituent of the outgoing Left Front government of resorting to electoral malpractices to gain advantage.
"Congress has done very well. We have a big contribution in defeating the Left. We could have got six to seven seats more but for the terror and other mal practices of the CPI-M. In West Midnapore's Garbeta, they had resorted to rampant rigging," he alleged.
In Garbeta, CPI-M's Sushanto Ghosh defeated Congress' Hema Choubey by 15,000 votes.
Bhuniya also lambasted Election Commission observer in Garbeta, Upamanyu Chatterjee for not taking timely action to stop the rigging. "He did not take our call for two hours. I had to call up Home Minister P. Chidambaram and Deputy Chief Election Commissioner Vinod Zutshi. And the Left candidate had done what he wished during that time," he alleged.
Banerjee's Trinamool Congress and its allies swept the assembly polls in West Bengal Friday ending the Left Front's unprecedented 34-year rule.
In the 294-member assembly, Trinamool Congress and allies won 227 seats - a three-fourth majority - leaving the Left Front with just 61 seats.