Agartala, Sept 6 (TIWN) Three top Tripura Congress leaders --- Surajit Datta, Ratan Chakraborty and Jawar Saha, all former ministers, holding a series of meetings with Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders in Kolkata to finalise their future plan in strengthening the TMC in Left ruled northeastern state.

“We have held a series of meetings with TMC’s all India general secretary Mukul Roy and party MLA Sabyasachi Datta to finalise our future course of action,” Ratan Chakraborty told TIWN by phone from Kolkata.

He said : “West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee would meet us any time on or before Sunday. She is now very busy in numerous affairs.”

The main opposition Congress in Tripura is heading for another split with these three top party leaders expressing their keenness to join the TMC.

“We would settle our organisational matters in Tripura after meeting with Mamatadi. A large number of Congress members and followers are also keen to join the party,” Mr Chakraborty said.

According to Mr Chakraborty, the TMC would put up candidates in both the Lok Sabha seats in Tripura in the upcoming general elections.

Meanwhile, Jawar Saha is now indisposed and advised rest by the doctors. He is now in Tripura Bhavan, Kolkata.

State Congress leaders including state party president Diba Chandra Hrangkhawl, working president Asish Saha and leader of opposition Sudip Roy Burman however, tried to downplay the disgruntled Congress leaders’ reported keenness to join the Trinamool.

“When they lose elections or lose party posts, then the Congress party becomes bad (for them),” Hrangkhawl said, without naming the dissident leaders, while addressing party workers at Town Hall here.

Former Congress legislator Subal Bhowmik, who lost to a Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) nominee in Sonamura constituency in West Tripura in the Feb 14 assembly elections, left the Congress and floated the Tripura Pragatishil Gramin Congress recently. A large number of Congress members joined the new party.

Mr Hrangkhawl recently appointed as President of the party in the state, while Mr Asish Saha was chosen as the party’s working president and Mr Barman as leader of the opposition.

The Congress won only 10 seats in the 60-member house in the February polls. The Congress's poll partners - Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura and National Conference of Tripura - drew a blank each.

The CPI-M won 49 seats and the Communist Party of India was victorious in one constituency