Tribune News Service

Kolkata, May 5

Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday took oath as the Chief Minister of West Bengal at a low-key ceremony at the Raj Bhavan in Kolkata. It is her third consecutive term.

Those who complimented Mamata included Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Congratulations to Mamata Didi on taking oath as West Bengal’s Chief Minister,” Modi said in a tweet.

Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar administered Mamata the oath of office and secrecy. The Chief Minister took the oath in Bengali. Mamata will have to become a legislator within the next six months as she has lost in the Assembly elections to BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari.

Apart from senior TMC leaders like Partha Chatterjee and Subrata Mukherjee, poll strategist Prashant Kishor, who played a key role in the TMC’s victory, and Mamata’s MP nephew Abhishek Banerjee were present at the swearing-in ceremony.

Talking to mediapersons after the oath ceremony, Mamata promised taking stringent action against those found involved in post-poll violence, which claimed the lives of at least 12 persons in the state during the last three days. While arresting the spread of Covid topped her agenda, law and order was next on the list of her priorities, Mamata said.

Governor Dhankhar, who expressed concern about the “collapse of law and order situation” in a tweet earlier this morning, congratulated Mamata and appealed to her to “script a new governance pattern”.

Didi writes to PM, flags vax shortage

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the Centre’s target to inoculate every citizen above 18 years was “unrealistic to achieve” since vaccines were inadequate.