The Congress party has unequivocally rejected speculation regarding a potential merger with the Trinamool Congress (TMC), with General Secretary KC Venugopal branding such reports as “baseless rumours.” The clarification follows a high-profile meeting between TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee with Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi.

Venugopal stated that discussions during these meetings were strictly confined to strategies for effectively raising national issues within the INDIA bloc, and no talks concerning a merger between the two political entities took place. This firm denial from the Congress aims to quell the intense political chatter that has been circulating.

Speculation over a possible amalgamation gained significant traction after Mamata Banerjee, a historically selective participant in INDIA bloc meetings, attended the alliance's gathering and subsequently held separate discussions with top Congress leaders. Her presence, coupled with the TMC's recent electoral defeat in West Bengal—where it secured only 80 seats in the 294-member Assembly—and visible internal splits within its legislative and parliamentary wings, provided fertile ground for merger theories.

The Trinamool Congress, while not officially commenting on a merger, has also seen its leaders address the rumours. TMC MP Saugata Roy, a close confidante of Mamata Banerjee, acknowledged the importance of cooperation with the Congress but left open whether this would manifest as an alliance or a merger. More definitively, Ritabrata Banerjee, who claims the backing of 64 out of 80 TMC MLAs, outright rubbished the reports, questioning who exactly would be merging given the lack of support from the legislative and parliamentary parties.

The idea of a merger also carries historical weight, given Mamata Banerjee's long association with the Congress before she broke away in 1997 to form the Trinamool Congress. Her departure was driven by perceived neglect of West Bengal by the Congress high command and a belief that the party lacked the resolve to challenge the then-dominant CPI(M)-led Left Front government effectively. She went on to lead the TMC to power in 2011, ending decades of Left Front rule.

For now, both major parties have dismissed the merger narrative. However, political observers remain vigilant, watching closely to see if the TMC's current internal turmoil and electoral challenges might eventually prompt Mamata Banerjee to seek a broader realignment with the Congress, even if not a full merger, to bolster her party's future political standing.