West Bengal, May 05:
Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee was sworn in as West Bengal chief minister for the third straight term today after she spearheaded her party to a remarkable victory in the assembly polls. Mamata Banerjee, in her trademark white Sari and shawl, took oath in Bengali. Banerjee said her first priority would be to tackle Covid and also appealed to people to maintain peace.
Moments after swearing-in Mamata Banerjee for her third straight term, Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar said, “Our priority is that we must bring an end to this senseless violence that has affected society at large. I have every hope that the CM on an urgent basis will take all steps to restore rule of law.”
The ceremony was a low-key programme given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, officials said. Invitations for the programme were sent to her predecessor Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, leader of Opposition of the outgoing House Abdul Mannan, and CPI(M) veteran leader Biman Bose, the official said on Tuesday.
The ceremony comes amid mounting pressure on the TMC government over the post-poll violence that claimed at least 14 lives in two days. Banerjee has asked the administration to control the violence at the earliest. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called up Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and the Union Home Ministry seeking a report from its state counterpart. BJP president J P Nadda also met families of the victims.
