Mamata Banerjee
Founder of the Trinamool Congress; Chief Minister of West Bengal (2011–2026)
- Age
- 71 yrs
- Birthday in 71 days
- Works listed
- 0
- Career highlights
- Honours
- 1
- Most recent 2021
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Mamata Banerjee founded the All India Trinamool Congress in 1998 and served as the first woman Chief Minister of West Bengal from 2011 to 2026. A former Union Railway Minister, she is known for her grassroots street politics and is popularly called “Didi”.
Biography
Early career
Banerjee grew up in a lower-middle-class family in south Kolkata and entered politics through the Congress’s student and youth wings. She studied history and Islamic history at the University of Calcutta, and later education and law. In 1984 she defeated the veteran communist Somnath Chatterjee in Jadavpur to become one of India’s youngest MPs, and she served as a Union Minister of State in 1991–93.
Trinamool Congress
Frustrated by the Congress’s approach to the Left Front in Bengal, she founded the All India Trinamool Congress on 1 January 1998. As an NDA ally she became India’s first woman Railway Minister (1999–2001) and later Minister of Coal and Mines. Allied with the UPA, she was Railway Minister again in 2009–11.
Her campaigns against land acquisition for industry at Singur and Nandigram in 2006–07 transformed Bengal politics and paved the way for victory.
Chief Minister
In 2011 the Trinamool-led alliance ended 34 years of Left Front rule and Banerjee became the state’s first woman Chief Minister. She was re-elected in 2016 and 2021. Her governments introduced welfare schemes such as Kanyashree for girls’ education — honoured with a UN Public Service Award in 2017 — Lakshmir Bhandar income support for women and the Swasthya Sathi health cover.
Her tenure ended in May 2026 following that year’s assembly election. She was named in Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in 2021. Unmarried, she lives in a modest family home in Kalighat, and paints and writes poetry.
Street fighter
Banerjee built her career through agitations and hunger strikes, including a 26-day fast in 2006 against land acquisition at Singur. In 1990 she was attacked during a protest and seriously injured. Her simple lifestyle and fierce oratory made her a mass leader in Bengal.
National role
Banerjee has been one of the most prominent opposition leaders to the BJP nationally and a founding partner of the INDIA bloc in 2023. Her government was criticised by opponents over post-poll violence, the Saradha chit-fund scandal and the 2024 RG Kar Medical College case, while her welfare schemes remained popular.
Writer and artist
She has published dozens of books of poetry, essays and memoir in Bengali and English, and her paintings have been exhibited and sold, with proceeds going to her party.
Timeline
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1955
Born in Calcutta (Kolkata), West Bengal
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1984
Elected MP for Jadavpur
Defeats Somnath Chatterjee.
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1990
Seriously injured during a protest in Kolkata
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1991
Union Minister of State
Human resource development, youth affairs and sports.
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1998
Founds the Trinamool Congress
On 1 January.
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1999
Railway Minister
First woman to hold the post.
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2006
26-day hunger strike over Singur
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2007
Leads Singur and Nandigram protests
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2009
Railway Minister again
Until 2011.
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2011
Chief Minister of West Bengal
Ends 34 years of Left Front rule.
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2016
Re-elected Chief Minister
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2021
Third term as Chief Minister
Named in the Time 100.
-
2023
Co-founds the INDIA opposition bloc
-
2026
Tenure as Chief Minister ends
After the assembly election.
Awards and honours
-
Time 100
2021 · Time magazine’s 100 most influential people.
Did you know?
-
1
She is known for her trademark white cotton sari and rubber slippers.
-
2
She has published many books of poetry and prose in Bengali.
-
3
She has written dozens of books and paints in her spare time.
-
4
She held a 26-day hunger strike in 2006.
-
5
She lives in her family home in Kalighat, Kolkata.
Gallery
Connections
Frequently asked
Who is Mamata Banerjee?
Mamata Banerjee founded the All India Trinamool Congress in 1998 and served as the first woman Chief Minister of West Bengal from 2011 to 2026. A former Union Railway Minister, she is known for her grassroots street politics and is popularly called “Didi”.
How old is Mamata Banerjee?
Mamata Banerjee is 71 years old, born on 5 January 1955 in Calcutta (Kolkata), West Bengal.
Where is Mamata Banerjee from?
Mamata Banerjee was born in Calcutta (Kolkata), West Bengal.
What is Mamata Banerjee known for?
Mamata Banerjee is best known for Ending 34 years of Left Front rule in West Bengal; first woman Railway Minister.
What awards has Mamata Banerjee received?
Notable honours include Time 100 (2021).
References
- Mamata Banerjee — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
- Mamata Banerjee — Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
- Mamata Banerjee — IMDb. IMDb. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
- Mamata Banerjee — Hindi Wikipedia. Wikipedia (Hindi). Retrieved 26 October 2026.
- Mamata Banerjee (Q465041) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
External links
About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editors; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal
- First published 26 October 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Mamata Banerjee.” TrackFame, last updated 26 October 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/mamata-banerjee
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