Jolt for Mamata as minister loses seat

The ruling Trinamool Congress has got a jolt in the assembly by-elections. Not only did it come a distant third on two of the three seats, one of the defeated candidates was a minister in the Mamata Banerjee cabinet, who had quit the Congress seven months ago.

The ruling Trinamool Congress has got a jolt in the assembly by-elections. Not only did it come a distant third on two of the three seats, one of the defeated candidates was a minister in the Mamata Banerjee cabinet, who had quit the Congress seven months ago.

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Murshidabad's Rejinagar has been a Congress bastion. So it was considered quite a coup when Banerjee lured away the sitting legislator Humayun Kabir with the animal resource development portfolio.

Smarting under the humiliation, junior railways minister Adhir Chowdhury camped out at Rejinagar.

His candidate Rabiul Alam Chowdhury was elected. The Trinamool leadership, though, is consoling itself with the thought that none of the three seats belonged to them but they won one.

"Congress is the major loser. All three seats belonged to them. We won English Bazar," said TMC leader Mukul Roy.

The Congress has lost Birbhum's Nalhati to Forward Bloc.