The Party for Democratic Socialism (PDS) and the Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI), which were allies of Banerjee’s anti-land acquisition movement at Singur and Nandigram, have started lobbying for LS seats.

Sources in the TMC said the PDS is creating pressure and they want to contest from both Bankura and Jadavpur, while the SUCI wants to field candidates in Joynagar and Canning in South 24-Parganas and external affairs minister’s constituency Jangipur in Murshidabad district.

“We will have to be extremely cautious in selecting our candidates and we will only field those whose poll prospects are brighter and who could defeat the CPM nominees. We must not put up those in the electoral battle whom the CPM could purchase by promising lucrative deals,” Banerjee told her associates in a closed-door meeting recently.

Meanwhile, all possibilities of distributing nominations among the partners of the West Bengal Democratic Secular Front created by Banerjee were kept in abeyance as she is not sure about the possible electoral tie-up with the Congress. Banerjee has already asked her party leaders to submit CVs for the 42 Lok Sabha constituencies.

After the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC) fielded its candidate against the Trinamool at the Bishnupur West Assembly by-election to be held on February 26, Banerjee made it clear that her party was ready to fight alone in all the Lok Sabha seats.

“We are ready to fight alone, but we are not blocking the path of holding talks in regard to seat adjustment to defeat the CPM. As we are the principal Opposition party in West Bengal, we should not do anything, which could send signals to our like-minded parties that we are shutting the door for them,” Banerjee said.