Mamata formally quits Lok Sabha after winning assembly bypoll

Kolkata, Oct 8: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today (Oct 8) resigned as a member of the Lok Sabha from South Kolkata constituency following her maiden entry to the Assembly in a recent by-election.

"Yes," the chief minister told PTI, confirming her resignation. Trinamool Congress General Secretary Mukul Roy, who carried her resignation letter addressed to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar said he would hand it over to the secretary general of the Lok Sabha.

Banerjee entered the state Assembly after winning the prestigious Bhowanipore seat in the metropolis by 54,213 votes humbling CPI(M)'s little-known candidate Nandini Mukherjee. PWD and Transport Minister Subrata Bakshi had resigned from Bhowanipur to make way for the chief minister.

Banerjee, who became the first woman chief minister of the state in May, had consistently been elected to the Lok Sabha since 1984, except in 1989. She gave up her Railway portfolio on becoming the chief minister and contested the by-polls.

Banerjee did not contest the Assembly elections in April-May on the ground that she needed time to campaign for the party to oust the 34-year-old Left Front regime. With her resignation, the strength of the Trinamool Congress, the second largest partner of the UPA, will come down to 18.

PTI