The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress swept back to power in West Bengal with a massive mandate but seven ministers ended up on the losing side.
Power Minister Manish Gupta lost to Communist Party of India-Marxist nominee Sujon Chakraborty from Jadavpur, while Textile Minister Shyama Prasad Mukherjee lost to Congress' Tushar Kanti Bhattacharya from Bishnupur.
Public Works Minister Sankar Chakravorty went down to Biswanath Choudhury of the Revolutionary Socialist Party in Balurghat, Refugee, Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Sabitri Mitra lost to Congress's Mohammad Mottakin Alam in Manikchak and Backward Classes Welfare Minister Upendranath Biswas lost to Congress' Dulal Chandra Bar in Bagdah.
Food Processing Industries and Horticulture Minister Krishnendu Narayan Choudhury was defeated by Independent Nihar Ranjan Ghosh in English Bazar and Law Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya lost to Communist Party of India -Marxist nominee Tanmoy Bhattacharya in Dum Dum North.
Among the other prominent casualties for the Trinamool is former state minister Madan Mitra.
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Jailed in the multi-crore rupee Saradha scam, he lost out to his CPI-M rival Manas Mukherjee at Kamarhati.
For the Left Front which managed to win just 31 of the 294 seats, CPI-M state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra suffered a humiliating defeat by over 13,000 votes in Narayangarh which he has been winning since 1991.
Touted as the face of the Left Front-Congress combine, Mishra, also the leader of the opposition in the outgoing assembly, was humbled by Trinamool's Prodyut Kumar Ghosh.
For the Congress, its nonagenarian candidate Gyan Singh Sohanpal lost from Kharagpur Sadar from where he had won ten terms, going down to state BJP president Dilip Ghosh.
--IANS
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