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NEW DELHI: The seat-sharing talks between Trinamool Congress and Congress for the West Bengal assembly polls showed no signs of being resolved on Friday. TMC chief Mamata Banerjee refused to improve her offer of 60 or 62 seats to Congress. The imbroglio has raised doubts over the Saturday's meeting between finance minister Pranab Mukherjee and the party's incharge for Bengal Shakeel Ahmed with Mamata. The meeting is slated to be held in Kolkata.

The TMC chief has also called back party general secretary Mukul Roy to Kolkata on Thursday. Roy had stayed on in the Capital to negotiate the deal with Congress's central leadership. Bengal PCC chief Manas Bhunia is also back in Kolkata.

Mamata's rigid stand has made Saturday's meeting inconsequential. Congress may call its central election committee meeting in Delhi on Saturday, where both Mukherjee and Ahmed's presence is crucial. Congress is trying to prevail upon Mamata to offer it more seats.

Mamata, on her part, is keen to wind up the seat-sharing talks by Saturday since she wants to announce TMC's list of candidates by Monday. The ruling Left Front is likely to announce its list of candidates on Sunday after the CPM's state committee meeting in Kolkata. If the seat-sharing talks are not completed over the weekend, Mamata may announce the names of her party's candidates on Monday. She is likely to keep the seats vacant that she is offering to Congress.

The Congress high command has left it to Mukherjee to clinch the deal as the emphasis has been on keeping the alliance intact. Congress chief Sonia Gandhi has told state and senior central party leaders, including Mukherjee, Ahmed and Ahmed Patel, to ensure the alliance doesn't break and party's interests are not compromised.