TMC stakes claim to form govt in West Bengal

Kolkata: The Trinamool Congress on Sunday formally staked claim to form the government in West Bengal shortly after Mamata Banerjee was elected Leader of it's Legislature Party.

A four-member Trinamool Congress delegation met Governor M K Narayanan and submitted a list of 184 party MLAs staking claim to form the government.

Trinamool Congress chief Banerjee was not in the delegation as she had left for New Delhi with Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to invite Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi for the swearing-in ceremony, the date of which has not yet been announced.

"We met the Governor and formally staked claim to form the government," party MP Sultan Ahmed, who was in the delegation, told reporters at Raj Bhavan.

Besides, Ahmed, newly-elected deputy leader of TC Legislature Party Partha Chatterjee, and senior leaders Subrata Mukherjee and Mukul Roy met the Governor.

Chatterjee said, "We have submitted the resolution passed by the legislators electing Mamata Banerjee unanimously as the Legislature Party leader."

"We have submitted a list containing signatures of 184 MLAs to the Governor," he said.

He said the Congress has already given a letter of support to the party.

Earlier, Banerjee told a meeting of newly-elected TC members that Congress and SUCI would be partners in the new ministry, the size of which would be small.