Mamta Banerjee was born on 5th January 1955 in Kolkata, West Bengal. Her parents Gayetri and Promileswar Banerjee belonged to lower middle class. Presently she is serving as the 11th Chief Minister of the West Bengal. She is the first woman to head the state. She has reached this point by defeating the longest ever democratically chosen government of Communist Party of India (Marxist), by a huge margin. This brought an end to 34 year long Communist rule over the state. She is also the chair person of ‘All India Trinamool Congress’ which was founded by her in the year 1997.

Mamta Banerjee completed her bachelor’s degree from Jogamaya Devi College, in southern Kolkata. Later, she completed her Master’s course in Islamic History from University of Calcutta. She also completed her degree in education from Shikshayatan College. This was followed by a degree in law from Jogesh Chandra Chaudhuri Law College, Kolkata.

Mamta Banerjee started her political career in a young age only. She joined Indian National Congress and rose swiftly to higher ranks in the local circle of the party. She served as the General Secretary of the Mahila Congress (I), West Bengal from the year 1976-1980. In 1984, Mamta won the general elections and became the youngest ever Parliamentarian. She defeated veteran Communist leader Somnath Chatterjee from the Jadhavpur constituency, West Bengal. She also served as the General Secretary of All India Youth Congress. However, in 1989 she lost her seat due to anti-Congress wave in the country. But in 1991, she regained the seat and from then onwards she has retained the seat in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2004 and 2009 from south Kolkata.

In 1991, she was made the Union Minister of State and was given the portfolio of Human Resource Development, Youth Affairs and Sports and Women and Child development. Though, she was removed from the portfolio when she protested as a sports minister against her own government. It was in the year 1997 when Mamta Banerjee moved out of the Congress Party and founded ‘Trinamool Congress’. In 1999, she joined the BJP led NDA government and was allocated the Railways ministry. She started various new trains for her home state during the first rail budget presented by her. But in 2001, she made allegations about the NDA government and moved out of the coalition. Later, she shook hands with Congress in the same year.

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In 2004, she came back in the governance and was allocated the ministry of coals and mines. She protested against the forceful acquisition of agricultural land for the industrial purposes. In 2009, she was again made the Minister of Railways in UPA led government.

On 20th May, 2011, she was sworn-in as the first woman Chief Minister of the state. She had recorded a land slide victory over her rival party. During her tenure, she is also in charge of 09 key departments of the government.

Apart from this there have been numerous instances when Mamata Banerjee had behaved in an unexpected and aggressive manner. She had threw her shawl over the then Railways Minister Ram Vilas Paswan for not giving due share to West Bengal in rail budget. She had also headed the Nandigram protests against the forceful acquisition of agricultural land. Tata had to shift their production base as a result of these protests to Gujarat.

She had always remained single throughout her life and always clad in a cotton sari she puts on minimal accessories and carries an austere outlook.