Welcoming the release of candidates’ list by the Trinamool, Manas Bhuniya, the leader of the Congress Legislature Party in the state Assembly, said: “This is a momentous situation. It will be a turning point in Bengal politics.”

Agreeing to contest only 14 seats and giving 28 seats to Trinamool has not gone down well with a section of Congress leaders in the state and so the party, unlike the Trinamool, will take some time before announcing its candidates, senior leaders said. The reason for grievance: some of the Congress leaders wanted the party to contest more seats, particularly from south Bengal, and those seats from where it has better chance to win.

“Our party leaders are still discussing the list of names and within one or two days we will announce our candidates,” said Bhuniya when asked why the Congress has not released the list of its candidates.

Congress sources, however, say that it will be difficult to convince the state leaders about seat-sharing agreement, as a large section of them had demanded more and winnable seats. “This is the primary reason that we could not announce our list today,” said a senior Congress leader.

The Congress has finally agreed to Trinamool’s original proposal of 28-14 formula as per which the national party will contest the six seats which it had won during 2004 Lok Sabha elections. The Central leadership of Congress said that the Trinamool-Congress alliance would be extended to 2010 Kolkata Municipal Corporation elections.

Thursday’s announcement of the seat-sharing agreement between the two parties came after hectic parleys and some jittery moments. Soon after Mamata Banerjee issued the 48-hour ultimatum to the Congress on Tuesday asking the latter to clear its position over the alliance, there were hectic backdoor negotiations. It has been learnt that Congress leaders in Delhi, particularly K Keshav Rao, took the initiative to finalise the seat-sharing arrangement.

Banerjee also had a telephonic conversation with Rao and West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC) chief Pranab Mukherjee over the issue.