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Mamata Banerjee takes oath as West Bengal's chief minister for second consecutive term

by IBNS 27 May 2016, 08:25 am

Kolkata, May 27 (IBNS): After being re-elected to power with 211 seats out of total 294 in West Bengal, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee took oath as state's Chief Minister for her second consecutive term on Friday in Kolkata's historic Red Road, in presence of West Bengal governor Keshari Nath Tripathi, a large number of VVIPs and thousands of general people.

After her swearing-in, 41 other cabinet ministers took oath. 
 
Of the state Assembly's 294 seats, Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress has captured 211 to bring the state under the largest ever single party rule. The main opposition, Left-Congress alliance, could manage 75 seats.
 
Besides heavyweight ministers from the first TMC government, several newly elected MLAs, including singer Indranil Sen and cricketer Laxmi Ratan Shukla, are going to be ministers for the first time. 
 
A large number of VVIPs, including Bhutan's Prime Minister, Bangladesh's Industry Minister, Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Union Minister of State for Urban Development Babul Supriyo, Bihar's Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Jammu and Kashmir's former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav, UP's Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, Delhi's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, were present at the TMC government's swearing-in ceremony.
 
Meanwhile, all opposition parties from WB, including Left Front, Congress and state BJP, decided to boycott the programme.
 
After the oath-taking ceremony, the CM and her 41 ministers will go to the state's main administrative building Nabanna at 3 pm., where the Kolkata Police will accord Mamata Banerjee a special Guard Of Honour. The first meeting of the newly-elected government will be held at 4:30 pm.
 
(Reporting by Deepayan Sinha)