Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee is "very much" part of the opposition bloc INDIA, and seat-sharing negotiations are underway among the members of the alliance.

Gandhi made the statement while addressing a press conference at Basiya in Gumla district during his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.

"Mamata-ji is very much part of the INDIA alliance like most of the other members who are part of it," he said.

Negotiations are going on among the members of the alliance over seat sharing, and "that is normal", he added.

Last week, Banerjee had said that her party TMC won't fight the Lok Sabha polls in alliance with the Congress in West Bengal. She accused the Congress of joining hands with the CPI(M) to assist the BJP in the elections.

On Bihar CM Nitish Kumar parting ways with alliance, and joining the BJP-led NDA, Gandhi said, "You can guess what would have been the reasons for his leaving. We will fight in Bihar as part of the INDIA alliance."

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