Mamata quits as rail minister; Mukul Roy may succeed

Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, preparing to take over as West Bengal chief minister tomorrow, resigned as union railway minister today, said railway officials.

There is of course much speculation on who will succeed her in the high-profile railway ministry, highly coveted by senior politicians for the power and pelf it carries.

As the most important ally of the Congress in the ruling UPA, it is expected that her successor will be hand-picked by her. Some reports put Trinanool Congress general secretary and minister of state for shipping Mukul Roy as the front-runner.

Banerjee took over as railway minister in May 2009. She had also held the ministry earlier, for less than two years, in the NDA government. Neither of her stints was distinguished by any improvement in revenue or services.

A consummate Indian politician, Banerjee nonetheless engineered a landslide victory of the Congress-Trinamool Congress combine. Now, final touches are being given to the preparations for the swearing-in of West Bengal's first woman chief minister at Kolkata's Raj Bhavan.

The swearing-in at a ceremony in the presence of 3,200 invitees drawn from among the top names in politics, business, art and culture will take place at 1:01pm, on a specific request by the Trinamool supremo.

Banerjee, who will be the eleventh chief minister of the state, will be administered the oath of office and secrecy by governor M K Narayanan on the southwest lawn of the 208-year-old Raj Bhavan, where shamianas have been erected.

Narayanan has already appointed Banerjee as chief minister.