Kolkata: Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress on Friday stormed to power in West Bengal crushing the red citadel and won an absolute majority on its own in the 294-member House.
Trinamool Congress, which contested the election in alliance with the Congress, secured 163 seats alone and was leading in another 23 seats, ending 34 years of uninterrupted Left rule in the state.
Its ally Congress, which contested 65 seats, so far won 40 and was ahead in one more seat.
Another Trinamool partner, SUCI, bagged the Joynagar seat in South 24 Parganas district. The CPI(M)-led Left Front, which had secured 235 seats in the 2006 Assembly elections, suffered heavy casualties with Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and several of his
Front major CPI(M) won only 35 seats and was leading in four others. Its allies Forward Bloc secured 10 and was leading in one seat, RSP won six and was leading in one, CPI
two and Independent two seats.
Others won six seats, which included three by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha in Darjeeling district.
Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee called on Governor M K Narayanan at Raj Bhavan this evening along with Leader of the Opposition Partha Chatterjee apparently to discuss government formation.
Earlier, the chief minister tendered his resignation to the governor and was requested to continue till alternative arrangements were made.
Addressing a huge crowd before her Kalighat residence, Mamata dedicated the victory of her party to `Ma, Mati, Manush` (Mother, Land and People) and promised to provide good governance and an impartial administration.
Accepting the verdict, chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and CPI(M) state secretary Biman Bose said the results were `unexpected`. They said the Front would play the role of a responsible and constructive opposition in the House.
There was jubilation after the Trinamool Congress` historic win with thousands of party workers and supporters gathering in front of the TC chief`s Harish Chatterjee Street
residence.
They danced, sang and sprinkled gulal to celebrate the victory.
In contrast, there was gloom in the CPI(M) headquarters at Alimuddin street where the party secretariat met to review the poll debacle.