West Bengal Governor invites Mamata to form government

Kolkata May 16: West Bengal Governor M K Narayanan today (may 16) invited Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee to form new government in the state following her party's resounding victory in the Assembly elections.

"A letter from the Governor has been sent to Ms Mamata Banerjee inviting her to form the government," Raj Bhavan sources told PTI.

Banerjee is now in Delhi to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi to invite them for the swearing-in ceremony, the date of which has not yet been announced.

The Trinamool Congress yesterday formally staked claim to form the government shortly after electing Banerjee as its Legislature Party leader.

Partha Chatterjee who was elected Deputy Leader of the TC Legislature Party, said that while staking the claim to form the government, a copy of the resolution adopted at the meeting of the newly-elected TC MLAs was submitted to the Governor. A list of 184 party MLAs were also submitted along with the resolution.

Trinamool's ally Congress has also submitted a letter of support to the government to be formed under Banerjee's leadership.

PTI