Saturday 16 / November / 2024
Kolkata: Mamata Banerjee was on Friday unanimously elected as the leader of the Trinamool Congress legislature party at its meeting.
TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee, who was re-elected from Behala Paschim seat, proposed her name which was seconded by all the newly-elected legislators of the party.
Banerjee later met Governor Keshri Nath Tripathi at Raj Bhavan (Governor House) to stake claim to form the new government in east Indian state of West Bengal.
After meeting the Governor, Banerjee said, "May 20 (today) is an auspicious day because it was on this day in 2011 our government took oath after the 'poribortan' (change)... So we have come to meet the governor and give him a letter on behalf of our party."
TMC leaders Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Subrata Bakshi, Saugata Roy and Mukul Roy accompanied her to Raj Bhavan.
Banerjee, who met all newly-elected MLAs of the party at her residence, exhorted them to reach out to the people.
"At the meeting our leader Mamata Banerjee told us to reach out to the masses as there is no place for complacency.
She said those who were defeated, lost due to their arrogance and advised us to be down to earth," a TMC MLA who was present at the meeting said.
TMC sources said the party has decided that it would aim to play a deciding role in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
"Our aim is now 2019 Lok Sabha polls, so our party leadership has decided that after this year's Durga Puja, we will work towards that. Our leaders will frequently visit Delhi," sources said.
Meanwhile, the new 294-member state assembly of West Bengal will have only 40 women Members pf Legislative Assembly (MLAs).
Of them 29 are from Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress. Four from Congress, six from its ally Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI M) and one from Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.
Besides Banerjee, who was the chief minister also held a number of other portfolios like home and health in the last government, there is only one more woman minister who has been re-elected this time.
Shashi Panja, who was the Minister of State for Women and Child Welfare and Social Welfare, has managed to retain her Shyampukur seat in north Kolkata by a margin of over 13,000 votes.
Two women ministers who were in the fray this time – Chandrima Bhattacharya and Sabitri Mitra lost out.
Baishali Dalmiya and Mahua Moitra are two new entrants in the corridors of power.
Baishali, daughter of former BCCI president late Jagmohan Dalmiya, debuted in the world of politics with a victory from Bally constituency in Howrah district on a TMC ticket.
Moitra, on the other hand, is a former investment banker who quit her lucrative job as vice-president of JP Morgan in London to join politics in
2008. She contested on a TMC ticket this time and won the Karimpur seat in Nadia district by 15,989 votes.
Bengali film actress and TMC leader Debasree Roy, who is also known as an animal rights activist retained her Raidighi seat.
Other prominent women TMC leaders who made it to the house this time also are Nayna Bandopadhyay (Chowringhee), Smita Bakshi (Jorasanko) and Sonali Guha (Satgachia).
