Mamata Banerjee - WB's stormy petrel returns to cabinet

Kolkata: For years the face of the opposition in communist-ruled West Bengal and now the architect of the Left debacle in the state, the feisty Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee makes a comeback to the union cabinet after five years.

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A gutsy agitationist and leader with mass appeal known for her humble lifestyle, the 54-year-old 'didi' of Kalighat in south Kolkata, becomes union minister for the fourth time.

Having risen through the ranks in the Congress, Banerjee made political analysts sit up and take notice of her in 1984 when she stunned Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) stalwart Somnath Chaatterjee from the Jadavpur constituency in her maiden Lok Sabha contest.

Image: Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee arrives to attend the meeting of UPA allies to discuss government formation at 10 Janpath in New Delhi.

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