New Delhi, Dec. 8: The Bengal unit of the Congress does not want to join hands with Trinamul leader Mamata Banerjee, at least not for the Balagarh Assembly bypolls.

The Congress has decided to field Vishwanath Malik as its nominee, disregarding Mamata’s call to leave the field open for her candidate in Balagarh in Hooghly district.

At a high-level AICC meeting to discuss Bengal party strategy, there was near unanimity that the Congress should “wait and watch” before aligning with Trinamul.

Attended by foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee, AICC general secretary Mohsina Kidwai, Bengal Congress legislature party leader Manas Bhuniya, Pradeep Bhattacharya and others, the members expressed dismay over Mamata’s continued association with the BJP.

The Congress members were of the view that unless Mamata distanced herself from the BJP, the Congress could not step in to strengthen anti-Left forces.

After the meeting, a senior party leader said: “As long as she stays with the NDA, the Congress will not be able to form an alliance with her.”

Bengal Congress members favoured Malik’s entry into the Balagarh fray, claiming it would strengthen the party.

They referred to Mamata’s appeal at a public rally that the two parties should unite against the CPM for the Balagarh bypolls but rued that she had not made any attempt to contact the Bengal Congress unit.

The view was that Mamata should sound more accommodating and establish some informal, back-channel contact instead of indulging in theatrics and rhetoric.

Parliamentary affairs minister Priya Ranjan Das Munshi, considered “soft” towards Mamata, was not present at the AICC meet. He is out of Delhi.