Mamata scripted history on this day in 2011 as Trinamool routed Left Front
kolkata: On May 13, 2011, Trinamool Congress (TMC) scripted history as Mamata Banerjee steered her party to an overwhelming win—13 years after it was formed—by dislodging the Left Front rule of 34 years in Bengal.
Trinamool Congress and ally Congress which fought the election jointly got 226 seats of which TMC got 184 seats and Congress got 42 seats. The GJM bagged 3 seats, Independent 2 seats and SUCI 1 seat and on the other hand, the Left Front got 62 seats.
Nobody ever thought that Trinamool will be able to dislodge CPI(M) in Bengal. The Left had converted all the institutions into its party office. The city and state police had CPI(M) unions.
The teachers, from school to university had rallied behind the CPI(M). There were two secretariat members of the Calcutta District Committee of CPI(M ), (Cal DC) who used to look after the police and teachers. Anil Biswas, former state secretary of the party used to look after the teachers' cell.
The party had behind it the support of a large section of WBCS officers who had offered help during the election and ensured a victory of the Left.
On May 19, 2011, Mamata Banerjee became the first woman Chief Minister of Bengal. After coming to power she had taken a slew of pro-people projects which have since pushed Bengal forward. She took several measures to ensure women's empowerment like the Swasthya Sathi
card, Lakshmir Bhandar, Kanyashree and Rupashree.
Health care in state-run hospitals became free and students in state-run schools
were given cycles free-of-cost. This project has brought
down the number of school dropouts successfully.
The success of the pro-people projects of the TMC government led to the erosion of the vote bank of the CPI(M) and Congress.
In the 2016 Assembly election, the duo fought jointly and got 32 and 44 seats respectively and in 2021
Assembly polls CPI(M) failed to get even a single seat.
The BJP got 77 seats despite huge publicity.
Mamata Banerjee had set an example before all the political parties in the
country that to become effective one has to launch movements and win the confidence of the people.
The movement lodged by Trinamool Congress in Singur and Nandigram ultimately paid the dividend.
Banerjee founded the All India Trinamool Congress on January 1, 1998, after she realised that Congress would always want the CPI(M) to remain in power in Bengal.
The success of the Trinamool-led state government lies in the effective launching of various projects and taking the administration to the door-steps of the people.
The administrative review meetings held in the districts have helped to resolve various issues on the spot.
