Mamata Banerjee elected TMC legislative party leader

Mamata Banerjee was on Sunday elected the leader of the Trinamool Congress Legislative Party by her newly elected lawmakers.

Partha Chattopadhayay was elected the deputy leader of the legislative party.

Addressing her legislators at the Maharashtra Niwas here, she said the party would hold its victory celebrations on July 21 at the Brigade Parade ground.

She also urged party workers and leaders to maintain peace in the state.

She is leaving for New Delhi Sunday evening on a special flight along with Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to invite Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi to attend her swearing-in ceremony.

Mamata would announce the swearing-in date after speaking with the PM and Sonia Gandhi to enable them to participate in the ceremony.

Earlier Saturday night, West Bengal’s chief minister in waiting met Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee at his south Kolkata residence after her historic election victory over the communists and invited Congress party to join the new government.

Trinamool Congress and Congress fought the assembly polls in West Bengal in alliance and defeated the Left Front ending their 34-year-long regime.

The alliance led by Mamata Banerjee won 227 seats with Trinamool alone garnering 184 seats.

Congress is yet to formally announce its decision on joining the government, but media reports suggested they are likely to take part in it.