On the completion of 12 years as the Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee on Friday thanked the people for their cooperation and unflinching support to the schemes that have been taken up for the development of the state.

She tweeted: “Today I have completed 12 years as the Chief Minister. I extend my best wishes and heartfelt greetings to the Maa-Mati-Manush family. This immensely satisfying journey has only been possible due to people’s love and support.”

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Miss Banerjee, while addressing a gathering at a patta distribution ceremony among some people of Shamshergunj in Murshidabad whose homes have been washed away due to land erosion said: “I have no holiday.

I do not take rest. My only aim is to ensure that the people of West Bengal get better facilities.” The Trinamul Congress had put an end to the 34 year rule of the Left Front in the 2011 Assembly elections. Mamata Banerjee led a series of movements against the CPI(M)-led Left Front after the state government forcibly took fertile land from the farmers to set up a car manufacturing plant in Singur.

She also led a movement to prevent the state government from setting up a chemical hub at Nandigram by evicting the local residents. During the course of that movement, police opened fire on protesting villagers on 14 March 2007, killing 14 people.

The beginning of the end of Left Front rule started from the Nandigram carnage. In the 2008 panchayat elections, the Trinamul Congress won two Zilla Parishads, namely East Midnapore and South 24-Parganas. In 2009, the party got 18 seats in the Lok Sabha while the Left Front was defeated in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation election in 2010.

The next year, the Left Front was ousted in the 2011 Assembly elections, with leaders like Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Nirupam Sen biting the dust. In 2016, the Left Front had made an electoral alliance with Congress, but got only 32 seats. The Left parties failed to bag a single seat in 2021 Assembly election. After coming to power, Miss Banerjee took up several schemes that have helped people immensely.

Among others, through Sabuj Sathi, students from classes IX to XII of state-run, aided schools and Madrasas have been given cycles, while scholarships were given to girls under Kanyashree. Under Lakshmir Bhandar women between the ages of 25 years and 60 years belonging to SC and ST categories get Rs 1,000 stipend per months, while their counterparts belonging to the general category get Rs 500 a month.

Through Lok Prasar Scheme, two lakh folk artists are given monthly stipend of Rs 1,000