Mamata Banerjee

About Mamata Banerjee

Who is Mamata Banerjee

The Chief Minister of West Bengal since 2011, Mamata Banerjee is an Indian politician, previously a member of the Congress and later, founded the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC). The TMC supremo has been elected to Parliament seven times before she contested in the West Bengal Assembly elections. In the state Assembly, she represents the Bhabanipur constituency.

A painter and a poet by interest, Banerjee established herself as a major force in West Bengal in 2011 after ending 34 years of CPI(M) rule in the state. She led her party to victory in 34 of the 42 seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and won a second term as CM with a landslide mandate in the 2016 Assembly elections.

Banerjee, popularly called 'Didi', has previously had stints as a Union minister in three central governments during both National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regimes. She was the first woman to serve the railway ministry twice. With her vast experience in politics, Mamata has now emerged as one of the prime challengers to the Bharatiya Janata Party.

The CM is involved in politics since the age of 15, starting with student wings of Congress in the 1970s. She rose to prominence after defeating CPM's Somnath Chatterjee in the 1984 General Assembly Elections. The rift between her and the Congress appeared in the 1990s when she alleged Congress of being a stooge to CPI(M) in the state. She co-founded her party in 1997 alongside Mukul Roy and became the primary Opposition.

The 66-year-old politician made headlines in 2005 when TMC actively protested the various land acquisitions, which caused ground-level issues to local farmers in the name of industrial development by the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government. In 2006, she was forcibly stopped on her way to Singur to protest the Tata Motors project, which later made TMC MLAs break furniture in West Bengal Assembly. During the Nandigram protest where 14 villagers were killed, Banerjee wrote letters to then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to stop what she stated as "state-sponsored violence".

In 2011, she became the first female chief minister of West Bengal, with TMC winning 184 seats and ended Communist rule. Immediately after winning elections, she returned the 400-acre land to the farmers of Singur. She also brought various reforms in the education and health sectors. Post her first stint as CM, she came back to the chair after having a landslide victory winning 211 seats out of 293.

As Chief Minister, she also became part of controversies in the state with a few financial scandals. In Saradha chit fund, Rose Valley Scam or Narada, her multiple cabinet ministers were accused of money laundering and then subsequently jailed.

In 2020, the Banerjee government was criticised for handling the coronavirus pandemic and hiding facts around the crisis. The Opposition has accused her of playing "appeasement politics" ahead of the West Bengal Legislative elections.

On March 17, 2020, TMC released the party manifesto promising to generate 500,000 employment opportunities annually and provide free door-to-door ration delivery. Banerjee also guaranteed annual financial assistance for the poor, in which the backward community will receive Rs 12,000 as annual financial assistance. She also promised annual aid of Rs 10,000 per acre to the farmers. In the education sector, she announced a credit card up to Rs 10 lakh for students pursuing higher education.

The chief minister is contesting from Nandigram, in a direct contest with her former aide Suvendu Adhikari who is fighting the Bengal Assembly polls from BJP.

Latest Updates on Mamata Banerjee

DA crisis: Calcutta HC directs govt to hold talks with agitating employees

The state government should take some decision to resolve the complications arising of the dearness allowance payments, court said

Updated On: 06 Apr 2023 | 2:05 PM IST

Mamata greets Rahul in morning and attacks him in evening: Sambit Patra

Patra was addressing a press meet at the new state BJP office in Salt Lake

Updated On: 03 Apr 2023 | 3:58 PM IST

West Bengal violence: BJP demands Mamata Banerjee's resignation, NIA probe

The Hooghly MP also accused the TMC supremo of playing "appeasement politics" and claimed that "Hindus are under threat in West Bengal"

Updated On: 03 Apr 2023 | 3:29 PM IST

Mamata is role model for how law and order situation worsens: Anurag Thakur

Hitting out at the West Bengal government over the death of a Bharatiya Janata Party worker in the state, Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Sunday accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of being biased

Updated On: 02 Apr 2023 | 11:53 AM IST

Mamata Didi is sleeping...Jungleraj has returned: Thakur on clashes in WB

Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Sunday hit out at the Bihar and West Bengal governments, over the communal clashes in the states during the Ram Navami festivities

Updated On: 02 Apr 2023 | 10:34 AM IST

Section 144 CrPC imposed after unrest in Howrah: Shah talks to WB governor

The governor also said those who resort to violence under the illusion that they can hoodwink the people will soon realise they are in a fool's paradise

Updated On: 31 Mar 2023 | 8:54 PM IST

BJP, right wing org behind Ram Navami violence in Howrah: Mamata Banerjee

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday claimed that the BJP along with other right-wing organisations was responsible for violence in the industrial town of Howrah on Ram Navami.

Updated On: 31 Mar 2023 | 3:17 PM IST

BJP hires goons from outside state to orchestrate communal riots: Mamata

"Why did they change the route and take the unauthorised route to particularly target and attack one community?" she added

Updated On: 31 Mar 2023 | 9:54 AM IST

Mamata gives 'aur ek dafa Delhi chalo' call to oust BJP from power

TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, who ended her 30-hour-long sit-in here to protest the Centre's alleged discrimination against West Bengal, called for an "aur ek dafa Delhi chalo" (another march to Delhi)

Updated On: 30 Mar 2023 | 10:45 PM IST

Mamata sits overnight in dharna against govt, raises political temperature

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sat overnight in front of Dalit icon Dr B R Ambedkar's statue on Red Road in the heart of the metropolis, surrounded by a cohort of TMC leaders

Updated On: 30 Mar 2023 | 1:34 PM IST

'Mamata's claim of illegally-appointed staff holding DA protest baseless'

Banerjee claimed that those who secured jobs during the previous regime by virtue of recommendations made on pieces of paper by the ruling party leaders were holding agitations over DA

Updated On: 30 Mar 2023 | 12:04 PM IST

Let's oust BJP without thinking of who will be leader after polls: Mamata

"There will be a game and we will also participate in that. In Uttar Pradesh, we will play the match jointly with (Samajwadi Party chief) Akhilesh Yadav

Updated On: 30 Mar 2023 | 9:32 AM IST

Mamata on 2-day dharna to protest Centre's 'discrimination' against Bengal

West Bengal CM said the two-day sit-in that she started here on Wednesday to protest the BJP-led Union government's alleged discriminatory attitude against the state was on behalf of her party

Updated On: 29 Mar 2023 | 8:39 PM IST

Mamata starts dharna to protest Centre's 'discrimination' against Bengal

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday started her two-day sit-in demonstration in Kolkata to protest the BJP-led Union government's alleged discriminatory attitude against the state

Updated On: 29 Mar 2023 | 1:32 PM IST

TMC MPs to protest against Centre in Parl over issue of 'Save Democracy'

Trinamool Congress MPs will stage a protest at Ambedkar Statue in the Parliament which coincides with a two-day dharna by the party's supremo Mamata Banerjee who will protest against the Centre

Updated On: 29 Mar 2023 | 10:20 AM IST

Bengal CM Banerjee launches flagship road 'Pathashree-Rastashree' project

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee inaugurated the 'Pathashree-Rastashree' project in Bengal's Singur on Tuesday

Updated On: 29 Mar 2023 | 9:05 AM IST

Mamata Banerjee to launch scheme for development of rural roads in Bengal

Twenty two districts will benefit from this project as 8,767 roads have been approved under this scheme

Updated On: 28 Mar 2023 | 12:41 PM IST

Mamata meets Patnaik, calls to strengthen India's federal structure

Mamata Banerjee also thanked Odisha CM for the allotment of land for the West Bengal government guest house in Puri

Updated On: 24 Mar 2023 | 8:41 AM IST

Premium

MGNREGS dues: Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee may shift protest to Kolkata

The state claims that the Centre owes Rs 7,500 crore, of which labour wages alone amount to Rs 2,744 crore

Updated On: 22 Mar 2023 | 8:44 PM IST

PM Modi, Mamata have deal to defame Rahul, Congress: Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury

Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury alleged that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have a deal to "defame the image of Rahul Gandhi and the Congress

Updated On: 20 Mar 2023 | 11:41 AM IST