Mamata Banerjee said on Tuesday that Uttar Pradesh and Bengal would hold the key to the formation of the new central government as she sought to take the fight against the BJP to a wider canvas.

The Bengal chief minister gave a state-wise estimate of Lok Sabha seats that the BJP would win and said the party would be far from the figure required to form the government.

“We are focussing on all 42 (Parliament) seats in Bengal and want our candidates to win them. It is clear Uttar Pradesh and Bengal are the two states which will decide as who will form the new government at the Centre,” the Trinamul supremo told an election rally at Itahar.

Itahar is in North Dinajpur district and falls under the Balurghat Parliament seat which will go to the polls on April 23.

Later in the day, Mamata addressed a public meeting at Buniadpur in South Dinajpur. Both the rallies were held in support of Trinamul’s Balurghat candidate and sitting MP Arpita Ghosh.

Mamata, who had been claiming at public meetings since April 3 that Trinamul would play a lead role in the formation of the new government in Delhi, on Tuesday mentioned for the first time UP that has 80 Lok Sabha seats.

“The chief minister’s reference to UP indicates that she is laying emphasis on the understanding she has with the SP-BJP alliance. The 122 seats that Bengal and UP hold together do matter for any political party or alliance. The BJP is the principal challenger of Trinamul and the SP-BJP alliance in Bengal and UP, respectively,” said an observer.

The chief minister said the BJP would not get the number to form the next government.

“How many seat the BJP will get in Bengal. Zero. How many will they get in Andhra (Pradesh). Zero. They will fall far short of the majority mark,” said Mamata.

In her speeches, Mamata sought to “shield” Arpita and praised her performance in Parliament. “Arpita is a fighter and was vociferous on a number of issues, along with other MPs of our party. All our MPs have done well and raised their voice against the central government’s anti-people policies,” she said.

Mamata’s plaudits for Arpita are seen as an attempt to placate the anger that brews among Trinamul leaders and supporters.

“The MP was hardly seen in her constituency, particularly at Itahar, in the past five years. We have a strong support base in the Balurghat Parliament seat but the principal issue that we have to deal with during the campaign is the absence of the MP from the constituency. We hope our party supremo’s message will help address the resentment,” a Trinamul leader said.

At the rally in Buniadpur, Mamata elaborated on her government’s welfare schemes and highlighted the infrastructure development of the South Dinajpur district.

In the 2016 Assembly polls, Trinamul had won only two of six Assembly seats in the district.

“Although you did not vote us in the Assembly elections for some reason or the other…. we went on executing development projects in South Dinajpur and ensured that maximum number of people were brought within the ambit of social schemes. Those whom you had elected did nothing. That is why we want you to support us this time,” she said.