That’s the way: Mamata Banerjee at a party programme on Monday. Picture by Amit Datta

Calcutta, Aug. 28: After Mamata Banerjee decided to side with the Congress in Malda, the CPM leadership said the “Congress-Trinamul tie-up” would not be limited to the late Ghani Khan’s fief.

The party expects the Opposition pact to extend to Katwa in Burdwan and Bongaon in North 24-Parganas.

“Dead horse” Mamata’s “opportunist alliance” with her former party incurred the wrath of CPM state secretariat member Benoy Konar, who admitted that the byelection battle would be tougher than expected after the Left Front’s sweeping victory in the Assembly polls in May.

The Congress, though, would be the ultimate loser, he added. “The Mamata tag will only deplete the Congress vote bank in Malda. The opportunist alliance will only help the CPM candidate.’’

“Mamata has hardly had a support base in the consti- tuency since Krishnendu Chowdhury (the Congress MLA from Englishbazar) deserted her. If the Congress high command believes that it would be able to increase its strength in Bengal by riding on the dead horse called Mamata, it is living in a fool’s paradise.’’

The CPM is pinning its hopes on the ability of the BJP, Mamata’s estranged ally, to split anti-Left votes and poop the Congress party in Malda.

“They are trying to cobble together a grand alliance of all anti-Left forces. But the BJP has decided to field its candidate in Malda. It has its own votes,’’ Konar said.

With 47,283 votes in the Habibpur segment of Malda during the Assembly polls, the BJP had finished second to the CPM. Trinamul, though, was with it then.

The CPM’s poll manager in Malda, Citu leader Shyamal Chakraborty, conceded that the Congress runs the zilla parishad with BJP support and may well be able to neutralise local BJP workers.

The CPM is determined to wrest the Lok Sabha seat from the Congress after Ghani Khan’s death by staking its claim to his legacy of development work for Malda.

“We recognise Khan Chowdhury’s contribution to Malda’s development and will tell the voters that the Left alone can carry forward the legacy,’’ Chakraborty said.

But will the CPM win? Chakraborty was not so sure. “We have a good possibility, but the outcome will depend on many factors,’’ he said.

The party is upbeat about winning the Purulia parliamentary seat, not Katwa. Konar said: “The Congress has named a little-known person as its candidate to make room for Trinamul. So it will be Trinamul versus the Left in Katwa.’’

Congress won the Katwa Assembly seat this time, though the other six segments of the Lok Sabha constituency went to the front.

“In Bongaon (an Assembly seat), too, the Congress will have understanding with Trinamul but we will give a good fight,’’ Konar said.

If Trinamul retains Bon- gaon, its tally of MLAs will creep up to 30, which would ensure it Opposition status in the Assembly.