MAMATA BANERJEE

Mamata Banerjee is the current Chief Minister of West Bengal and the chairperson of the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC). Her party won the Legislative Assembly elections in Bengal in 2011 after 34 years of rule by the Communist Party of India (Marxist). Banerjee began her political career in the 1970s as part of the Congress and later split away from it, forming the TMC. She gained popularity in the state by her determined opposition to the land acquisition policies of the CPI(M) for industrialisation. Before becoming the Chief Minister of the state, she held the position of railway minister for two terms. Popularly known as 'didi' in Bengal, she was listed by the Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Full Name	Mamata Banerjee
Profession	Indian Politician
Political Party	Indian National Congress All India Trinamool Congress
Political Journey	• She became a member of Indian National Congress in 1970. • Mamata served as the General Secretary of state "Mahila Morcha" of the Congress party from 1976 to 1980. • After defeating veteran Communist politician Somnath Chatterjee from the Jadavpur parliamentary Constituency in West Bengal in 1984 general elections, she became one of the youngest parliamentarians ever. • She also served as the General Secretary of Indian Youth Congress. • Due to the anti-incumbency, Mamata lost her seat in 1989 Lok Sabha elections. • Mamata was again elected as a Lok Sabha MP from Dakshin Bengal in 1991 general elections and kept on winning the seat in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2004, and 2009 elections. • She was made the Union Minister of State for Human Resources Development, Youth Affairs and Sports, and Women and Child Development in 1991. She was discharged of her portfolios in 1993. • Mamata then left the Congress Party in 1997 and established All India Trinamool Congress the exact same year. • After there was a hung assembly in the Centre in 1999 elections, she joined the BJP led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) as an ally and was given the charge of Railway Ministry. • In 2001, she ended her ties with the NDA and went on to join hands with Congress Party for the then West Bengal Assembly elections. • She returned to the NDA in January 2004 and was named the Coals and Mines Minister of India until the dissolution of Lok Sabha in May 2004. • For the parliamentary elections 2009, she joined hands with the Indian National Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA). On coming to power, INC named her the Central Railway Minister. • To hold the chair of Chief Minister of West Bengal in May 2011, she stepped down from the Union Ministry of Railways. • She again became the Chief Minister of West Bengal in 2016.
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	in centimeters- 163 cm in meters- 1.63 m in Feet Inches- 5’ 4”
Weight (approx.)	in Kilograms- 59 kg in Pounds- 130 lbs
Eye Colour	Hazel Brown
Hair Colour	Salt & Pepper
Personal Life
Date of Birth	5 January 1955
Age (as in 2017)	62 Years
Birth Place	Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Zodiac sign/Sun sign	Capricorn
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Kolkata, West Bengal, India
School	Deshbandhu Sishu Sikshalaya, Kolkata
College	Jogamaya Devi College, Kolkata University of Calcutta, Kolkata Shri Shikshayatan College, Kolkata Jogesh Chandra Chaudhuri Law College, Kolkata
Educational Qualifications	B.A.(Honours) History M.A. in Islamic History Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Education
Debut	She stepped into the world of politics with Indian National Congress in 1970.
Family	Father- Promileswar Banerjee Mother- Gayetri Devi Brothers- Amit Banerjee, Ajit Banerjee, Kali Banerjee, Baben Banerjee, Ganesh Banerjee, Samir Banerjee Sister- None
Religion	Hinduism
Caste	Brahmin
Hobbies	Walking, painting
Major Controversies	• In December 1998, Mamata controversially held Dogra Prasad Saroj, a Samajwadi Party MP, by his collar and dragged him out of the well of Lok Sabha while he was protesting against the Women's Reservation Bill. • She was heavily criticized for her remarks on the climbing number of rapes in India. Mamata, in October 2012, said "Earlier, if men and women were seen together holding each other's hands, they would get caught by the parents and be rebuked by them, but now everything is open. It's like an open market with a number of options." • Under the Chief Ministership of Mamata, West Bengal government in October 2016 imposed a ban on Durga Puja after nearly 25 Muslim families raised objections against the practice. The state government said that Durga Puja could hurt the sentiments of the Muslim community as Muharram was on the following day. The decision of the state government, however, was later overturned by the Calcutta High Court and was tagged "a bid to appease minorities." • In January 2017, the word "Rainbow" in Bengali textbooks was replaced with "Ramdhonu" which means 'Ram's Bow' to the word "Rongdhonu," which translates to 'Bow of Colors' by the West Bengal Council for Higher Education. A section of West Bengal population saw it as yet another attempt of minority appeasement as "Ram" is the name of one of the figures in Hindu mythology, and that Bangladesh is a Muslim majority country.
Boys, Affairs and More
Marital Status	Unmarried
Husband	N/A
Money Factor
Net Worth (approx.)	INR 30 Lakh (as in 2016)