Mamata Banerjee re-elected TMC chief unopposed

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who was re-elected the Trinamool Congress Chairperson (TMC) chairperson on Wednesday, urged party leaders to put up a united fight against the BJP and warned against infighting.

Mamata Banerjee’s message to party leaders came amid differences between the generation next leaders and a section of the old guard, a top party official said.

“I want all my party leaders and workers to promise they will not fight among themselves. Infighting will not be tolerated....groups within the party will not be tolerated. There are no different groups in TMC, the party is one united group,” she said.

“The party has to fight hard to win all the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the next polls in Bengal. We have to take along everybody,” she added after being re-elected.

However, a court in the western Indian city of Mumbai on Wednesday summoned Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on March 2 in a case of alleged disrespect to the national anthem during her visit to the financial capital in December.

The summons came in the wake of a petition filed by a local leader of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party alleging that Mamata did not stand up when the country’s national anthem was played at an event she was attending in Mumbai.

The Bengal Chief Minister did not comment on the summons. The ruling Trinamool Congress held its organisational elections after a gap of five years.

According to TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee, Banerjee was declared elected without a contest as no other leader entered the fray.

“A total of 48 proposers and seconders had submitted nominations in favour of Mamata Banerjee. As there was no other nomination for the post of chairperson, Mamata Banerjee has been re-elected unopposed,” he said.