Photos: Mamata seals third term in Bengal, BJP keeps Assam and LDF in Kerala
- Mamata Banerjee lost a tight race in Nandigram but quelled an aggressive BJP push, leading TMC to a landslide victory in West Bengal. A results brought a sunrise for MK Stalin in Tamil Nadu, while the Left proved right again in Kerala as Pinarayi Vijayan bucked a four-decade-old trend by retaining power. And the BJP holds on to its eastern bastion in Assam. A look at the results and celebrations on May 2.
PUBLISHED ON MAY 03, 2021 03:55 PM IST 9 Photos
1 / 9
An All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) supporter celebrates the party’s victory in the West Bengal Assembly election, at Gopal Nagar in Kolkata, on May 2. TMC, led by India’s only woman chief minister Mamata Banerjee — swept the West Bengal assembly polls of 2021 for the third time. TMC’s victory comes as a sign of the continued assertion of regional parties in Indian politics and a major setback to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).(Samir Jana / HT Photo)
PUBLISHED ON MAY 03, 2021 03:55 PM IST
2 / 9
TMC supporters celebrating the party's victory in the election, in Kolkata on May 2. Riding on a mix of welfare delivery, Bengali sub-nationalism, Banerjee’s own popularity and her connect with the grassroots, the TMC won — but Banerjee lost her own fiercely fought assembly battle in Nandigram, to her former colleague and aide-turned-BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari. The TMC has sought a recount.(ANI )
PUBLISHED ON MAY 03, 2021 03:55 PM IST
3 / 9
TMC chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee shows the victory sign along with her grandniece Azania during a media interaction at her residence in Kalighat, Kolkata, on May 2. “It is the victory of the people of Bengal, the victory of democracy. Bengal has saved India today. This landslide victory came after fighting against several odds — the Centre, its machinery, its agencies. This victory has saved the humanity,” Banerjee said.(Samir Jana / HT Photo)
PUBLISHED ON MAY 03, 2021 03:55 PM IST
4 / 9
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president MK Stalin visits his father and former chief minister of Tamil Nadu M Karunanidhi's memorial after the party’s victory in Tamil Nadu Assembly election, in Chennai on May 3. This was the first state elections held in Tamil Nadu after former chief ministers M Karunanidhi and J Jayalalithaa passed away.(R Senthil Kumar / PTI)
PUBLISHED ON MAY 03, 2021 03:55 PM IST
5 / 9
DMK supporters celebrating the Assembly polls results at their party headquarters, in Chennai on May 2. The DMK returns to power after a decade, riding on a degree of anti-incumbency, Stalin’s leadership, alliances, and unease with the BJP.(R Senthil Kumar / PTI)
PUBLISHED ON MAY 03, 2021 03:55 PM IST
6 / 9
Left Democratic Front (LDF) supporters celebrating the party's winning trend in Kerala State Assembly Polls, in Thiruvananthapuram on May 2. In Kerala, breaking a four-decade-old trend, where power has alternated between the two of the state’s major political formations, the LDF led by Pinarayi Vijayan made history by comfortably returning to power for a second consecutive time.(PTI )
PUBLISHED ON MAY 03, 2021 03:55 PM IST
7 / 9
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan greets other leaders and supporters as he arrives at a vote counting centre following LDF’s victory in the polls, in Kannur on May 2. Political observers in the state attributed the win to the government’s focused management of Covid-19 and Nipah, as well as floods, during its term, HT reported.(SK Mohan / AP)
PUBLISHED ON MAY 03, 2021 03:55 PM IST
8 / 9
BJP workers celebrating the party’s victory in the Assam Assembly elections, in Guwahati on May 2. The BJP had reason to smile in Assam — where it returned to power despite a united opposition for a second time — under the leadership of chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Himanta Biswa Sarma.(PTI)
PUBLISHED ON MAY 03, 2021 03:55 PM IST
9 / 9
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal addresses the media after BJP led alliance confirmed their victory in Assam state polls, at BJP headquarters, in Guwahati on May 2. The BJP largely relied on the government’s welfare schemes and communal polarisation, however, there is speculation about whether the party would stick to the incumbent CM or appoint Sarma as the new leader of the legislative party.(ANI)
PUBLISHED ON MAY 03, 2021 03:55 PM IST