About Mamata Banerjee
Mamata Banerjee is the ninth Chief Minister of West Bengal, India. She is the first lady to hold the Chief Minister’s office in the state. On 4th May 2021, she became the only women CM to win three consecutive terms. The thumping victory came on the heels of several corruption charges and against a lot of personal yet sexual attack at the end of her tenure as the eighth chief minister.
In 1997, Banerjee had dissociated herself from the Indian National Congress and founded the All India Trinamool Congress, also known as TMC or AITMC.Popularly referred to as "Didi" (elder sister) in Bengal, she created history in the state with a sweeping victory in the 2011 Legislative Assembly elections of West Bengal that uprooted the 34-year-long Left Front government led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
It was the world’s longest-serving democratically elected communist government in the world. Banerjee also holds the record of being the first woman Railway minister of the nation. She held the post twice. Other prominent posts held by her include Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Minister of Coal, Women and Child Development, and Department of Youth Affairs and Sports.
In May 2013, Mamata Banerjee was voted by the largest anti-corruption coalition of India, India Against Corruption, as the most honest politician of India. She has always maintained an austere and simple lifestyle.
Mamata Banerjee is associated with several human and social rights organisations that promote welfare and development of poor children and women, provide the poor with free legal aid and organise health camps at different places for children and mothers.
Mamata Banerjee Personal Background
Mamata Banerjee was born on 5 January 1955 in Kolkata (erstwhile Calcutta), West Bengal, to a lower-middle-class Bengali family. Her father was Promileswar Banerjee and her mother was Smt. Gayatri Devi. She lost her father at the age of nine.
She graduated in history from Jogomaya Devi College in Kolkata and also earned a master’s in Islamic History from Calcutta University. Banerjee has a degree in Education from Kolkata’s Shri Shikshayatan College and a law degree from Kolkata’s Jogesh Chandra Chaudhuri Law College. She is not married. Her artistic passion unfolds in self-taught painting and poetry. Her favourite pastimes include reading, writing and listening to music.
Activities and Achievements of Mamata Banerjee
Mamata Banerjee successfully formed a new party after separating from the Congress in 1997. The new party, All India Trinamool Congress, subsequently, became the primary opposition party in West Bengal led by the CPI(M).
In 2002, after becoming the Railway Minister, she introduced new trains, made extension of a few express train services; increased frequency of some trains aimed at developing tourism and also proposed the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation.
She actively protested on 20 October 2005 against forcible land acquisition of farmers and agriculturists for industrialization in West Bengal by the then Left Front government led by Buddhadev Bhattacharya.
She introduced several non-stop Duronto Express trains that connected major cities, other passenger trains and ladies-special trains during her second term as Railway Minister, from 31 May 2009 to 19 July 2011.
The alliance of All India Trinamool Congress, the Indian National Congress and SUCI won 227 seats (TMC -184, INC – 42, SUCI – 1) in the 2011 Legislative Assembly Elections of West Bengal, resulting in a washout of the Left Front. On 20 May 2011, she became the first woman Chief Minister of West Bengal marking the end of the 34-year-long Left Front government.
How Did Mamata Banerjee Entered in Politics?
Mamata Banerjee’s entry into politics was at a young age when she was still in school. She joined the Congress (I) Party in the state and served in different posts both within the party and other political groups. Her rise up the political ladder in the 1970s was quick and she was made the Mahila Congress General Secretary from 1976 to 1980.
Political Timeline
Mamata Banerjee previously served twice as Minister of Railways, the first woman to do so. She is also the first female Minister of Coal, and Minister of Human Resource Development, Youth Affairs and Sports, Women and Child Development in the cabinet of the Indian government.
She rose to prominence after opposing the erstwhile land acquisition policies for industrialisation of the Communist government in West Bengal for Special Economic Zones at the cost of agriculturalists and farmers at Singur.
- 1970 : While studying at the Jogamaya Devi College she established Chhatra Parishad. This was the student's wing of the Congress (I). She defeated the Democratic Students’ Union of the Socialist Unity Centre of India.
- 1974 : Mamata began her political career with district unit of Congress party.
- 1976 : She became General Secretary of the Mahila Congress in West Bengal. She served this post for around four years.
- 1984 : In mid of the year 1984 she was appointed as the general secretary of the Indian Youth Congress. Won her first ever Lok Sabha election defeating Communist stalwart Somnath Chatterjee from Jadavpur Loksabha Constituency. Mamata became one of youngest parliamentarians.
- 1989 : During 1989 Loksabha Election, Mamata lost Jadhavpur seat because of anti-Congress wave in West Bengal.
- 1991 : Mamata re-elected to Loksabha. This time she won from Kolkata Dakshin. She got 3,67,896 votes which was around 52 per cent of total votes.
Mamata was made the Union Minister of State for Human Resources Development, Youth Affairs and Sports, and Women and Child Development during PV Narshimha Rao's government. Later she was discharged of her portfolios in 1993.
- 1996 : Mamata retained her Kolkata Dakshin seat. This time she won by 103,261 votes. She defeated Bharti Mukherjee of CPI (M).
- 1997 : Mamata left the Congress Party and established All India Trinamool Congress, commonly known as TMC or Trinamool Congress. Soon her party became the primary opposition party in the eastern state.
- 1998 : In 1998 General Election Mamata's vote share increased to 59%. She won by 224,081 votes against Prasanta Kumar Sur of CPI (M) from same seat.
- 1999 : Mamata's TMC joined National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government and she became the Union Railway Minister. She presented her first Railway Budget. She introduced 19 new trains for the FY 2000–2001. Mamata again won from Kolkata Dakshin. This time she defeated Subhankar Chakraborty for CPI(M).
- 2004 : Mamata defeated Rabin Deb and retain her seat.
- 2005 : Mamata protested against the forceful land acquisition by West Bengal government. More than lakh farmers were with Mamata.
- 2006 : Mamata called Banerjee major strike against proposed Tata Motors car project. Trinamool Congress MLAs protested inside the assembly by damaging furniture and microphones. On 4 August 2006, During the Loksabha proceedings, Mamata hurled her resignation papers at the deputy speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal. After losing Kolkata Municipal Corporation elections, Mamata started giving more focus to her party.
- 2009 : Just before Loksabha elections, she joined Congress led UPA and won. Mamata registered her fifth consecutive victory from Kolkata Dakshin and was inducted in cabinet as Railway Minister. This was her second term as Railway Minister.
- 2011 : Became the 8th Chief Minister of West Bengal, as a TMC-Congress alliance won 227 of the 294 seats, bringing down a 34 year Left Front rule in the state.
- 2012 : Mamata withdrew support from the UPA.
- 2016 : Became Chief Minister of West Bengal for a second term, as the TMC alone won 211 seats against a Left-Congress alliance.
- 2021 : Mamata Banerjee successfully led TMC to a tremendous victory, 3rd time in a row in West Bengal assembly election but she herself lost the election from Nandigram constituency to BJP's Suvendu Adhikari, once a close aide of the TMC chief.
Mamata Banerjee is also credited with taking initiative to solve the longstanding Gorkhaland problem. On 2 September 2011, a semi-autonomous body called the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) was formed to administer Darjeeling. The GTA has financial, administrative and executive power, excluding legislative powers.
Books by Mamata Banerjee in Bengali
- Upalabdhi
- Maa-Mati-Manush
- Janatar Darbare
- Manavik
- Motherland
- Anubhuti
- Trinamool
- Janmaini
- Ashubho Shanket
- Jago Banglaa
- Ganotantre Lajja
- Andolaner Katha
Books by Mamata Banerjee in English
- Smile
- Slaughter of Democracy
- Struggle for Existence
- Dark Horizon
Awards Won by Mamata Banerjee
The Time magazine in 2012 mentioned her among the 100 Most Influential People in the World The Bloomberg Markets magazine marked her as one of the "50 Most Influential People in the World of Finance" in September 2012.
Her popularity in the female population of West Bengal is her USP and in return she also gave out so many great schemes such as is the scheme named ‘Kanyashree’ which went on to win United Nations Honours for being the Highest Public Service back in 2017.
Written by - Sanjana Chakraborty
Edited by - Gourav Chowdhury
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