Mamata Banerjee will stake a claim to form the government in the state at 7 PM on Monday. This was announced by West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar. Taking to Twitter, Dhankhar said that he congratulated Mamata Banerjee’s party win in West Bengal assembly elections.
He also added that the chief minister will be calling on him at Raj Bhawan.
Mamata Banerjee steamrolled the BJP election war machine as she powered the TMC to a two-thirds majority in the assembly elections and secured a third straight term in office in West Bengal, the longest-standing opposition fortress in the country.
However, the mighty leader of Bengal lost the prestige battle at Nandigram against Suvendu Adhikari by 1956 votes. The TMC won 208 seats and is leading in five more polling 47.94 per cent votes till 3.30 am, while the BJP clinched 76 seats and is leading in one, bagging 38.13 per cent votes.
Elections were held in 292 constituencies of the 294- member assembly. Polling was countermanded in two constituencies after candidates fell victim to a raging COVID-19 pandemic.
Though the BJP failed in its effort to dislodge Banerjee from power, it's for the first time that it will be the main opposition party in the state assembly, rising from a measly three seats in 2016 to at least 76 now.
Though it was seen a furious battle which even resulted in a virtual duel between Mamata Banerjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it was the Congress and the LEFT who lost the bigger battle. For the first time ever in Bengal's history, Left and congress will not have any representation in the state.
An alliance with the newly-formed ISF does not seem to have helped the CPI(M)-led Left Front and the Congress combine. The Congress, which was the main opposition party in the outgoing assembly with 44 seats, had entered into an alliance with the Left Front in the 2016 assembly elections also.
Mamata Banerjee is set to be sworn is as the Chief Minister of Bengal for the third term.