Bengal Congress veteran Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury on Wednesday caused substantial discomfort to his party’s state leadership by stating in public that Trinamul chief Mamata Banerjee would leave Malda South and Behrampore for his party as part of a seat-sharing arrangement between INDIA partners.

Khan Choudhury said: “From what I have been seeing in the papers, the chief minister of Bengal is giving us Behrampore and Malda South.”

“These two seats, she is giving us. She is telling us: Take these two seats,” said the octogenarian Malda South MP.

“We have some other demands, which we have been informing her of… the results of that we don’t know yet,” he said.

What he meant by “other demands” was not clear.

A source said he was probably referring to the Congress state unit’s desire to contest in at least seven of nine seats where it still has some organisational presence. Behrampore and Malda South apart, these are Murshidabad, Jangipur, Malda North, Raiganj, Darjeeling, Purulia and Basirhat.

If comments on Congress leaders on the alliance question are scanned closely, a divided house emerges.

Most Congress leaders like state president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury openly say they don’t not want an alliance with Trinamul.

A week ago, Adhir and others in the state leadership informed the Congress high command during a meeting, attended by Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and K.C. Venugopal that even in their “worst nightmare”, they were unable to imagine an alliance with INDIA partner Mamata in Bengal.

Some Congress leaders, on the other hand, have spoken about their demand for six to nine seats in Bengal in case there is a poll alliance with Trinamul.

There is also a section, which believes that the party should hold Trinamul’s hand if it gives two to three seats as the main aim should be to bring down the BJP’s tally in Bengal.

“It remains to be seen which view prevails as the high command has not yet begun seat negotiations with Trinamul,” said a source.

Against this backdrop, Trinamul state vice-president Jay Prakash Majumdar said there was nothing logically incorrect in what Khan Choudhury said.

“I am not aware of this,” said Adhir, whose acrimony towards Mamata is an open secret.

“I have not spoken to Mamata Banerjee, so I will not be able to comment on this. Maybe he (Khan Choudhury) did, which is why he is able to say this,” he added.

Sources in the Congress state unit said Khan Choudhury was merely trying to ensure that Mamata lets him breathe easy in Malda South.

Another Congress source, not as militantly opposed to a truck with Mamata, said a third of the Bengal electorate is Muslim, and the Congress support base in the state has long been reduced to a handful of seats in central and north Bengal with substantial Muslim population.

“A consolidation of Muslim votes in favour of Mamata has been happening for long anyway, and it will only be enhanced rapidly after the Ram temple inauguration and the saffron brouhaha around it,” he said.

“The real aim of INDIA has to be to ensure the BJP gets as few of the 42 Bengal seats as possible. There is no point in throwing a spanner in the works to dilute Mamata’s chances.”