CPI(M) shock: Buddhadeb to resign as CM

Kolkata, May 13: West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee will tender his resignation today (may 13) following the debacle suffered by the CPI(M)-led ruling Left Front in the Assembly polls.

"The Chief Minister will meet Governor M K Narayanan at Raj Bhavan to formally hand over his resignation letter," party sources told PTI here.

Bhattacharjee was the chief minister of the state for two consecutive terms since May, 2001, taking over the baton from party patriarch Jyoti Basu who was at the helm of affairs in the state since 1977.

Meanwhile, the CPI(M) state secretariat met here to review the severe drubbing in the election suffered by the party-led Front which ruled the state uninterruptedly since 1977.

All the 17 secretariat members were present at the meeting which was presided over by party's state secretary Biman Bose and attended by the chief minister. The 10-party Left Front is also scheduled to meet.

PTI