Mamata takes oath as MLA

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 7

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was today administered oath as a member of the state Assembly by Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar. Banerjee, who won the Bhabanipur bypoll by a margin of over 58,000 votes, a record for the seat, took oath in Bengali.

She needed to win the election to retain the Chief Minister’s chair after her defeat at the hands of associate-turned-rival Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP in the March-April Assembly elections. Two other newly elected TMC legislators ndash; Jakir Hossain and Amirul Islam ndash; were also administered oath by the Governor.

Hossain won by a margin of 92,480 votes from Jangipur. Islam won from Samserganj by 26,379 votes.

Dhankhar had announced earlier that he would administer oath to members of the Legislative Assembly, in a departure from the practice of the Governor authorising the Speaker of the Assembly to conduct the exercise. Speaker Biman Banerjee was present in the Assembly during the oath ceremony.