Mamata Banerjee

Mamata Banerjee (born 5 January 1955) is an Indian politician serving as the Chief Minister of West Bengal since 2011. She is the founder and chairperson of the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC or TMC) party. Known as "Didi" (elder sister) by her supporters, she is one of India's most prominent female politicians and has been credited with ending the 34-year left-front rule in West Bengal. Born in Calcutta (now Kolkata), Banerjee entered politics at a young age and became one of the youngest ministers in the Indian government when she was appointed as Minister of State for Sports, Youth Affairs, and Women and Child Development in 1991 under Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao. She had won her first Lok Sabha seat in 1984 from Jadavpur at age 29. In 1998, Banerjee founded the All India Trinamool Congress after splitting from the Indian National Congress. For over a decade, she led a relentless movement against the Left Front government in West Bengal. Her activism during the Singur and Nandigram land acquisition controversies became nationally famous. In 2011, TMC, in alliance with the Congress, ended the Left Front's 34-year rule in West Bengal — one of the longest democratically elected communist governments in world history. As Chief Minister, Banerjee has launched several welfare schemes including Kanyashree (for girl children), Sabuj Sathi (free bicycles for students), and the Duare Sarkar (government at doorstep) initiative. West Bengal under her leadership has seen significant improvements in social indicators. She has been a vocal critic of the BJP and Narendra Modi, often positioning herself as a champion of federal rights and minority protections. In the 2021 state elections, she led TMC to a resounding victory, winning 213 out of 294 seats despite predictions of a tight contest.