The Trinamool Congress on Monday announced Mamata Banerjee as its parliamentary party leader and declared its support to the next Congress-led Government at the Centre. The announcement came after a closed-door meeting Mamata held with her new MPs.

Regarding ministerial berths, party sources said Mamata wanted the representation of all sections, including women, minorities, Scheduled Castes, senior leaders and MPs attached to the Nandigram agitation. The Trinamool chief, however, chose to be tight-lipped on the issue and clarified that she would not go for any bargain.

Newly elected MPs Sultan Ahmed and Govinda Chandra Naskar have unanimously been elected deputy leaders of the Trinamool parliamentary party.

Mamata said a letter containing the signatures of her MPs will be sent to President Pratibha Patil informing her about their support to the UPA. Party general secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Mukul Roy would leave for Delhi on Monday night, she said.

“We do not believe in bargain. There is no need to talk about which ministry we want. We never asked anything from anyone.” She said she had already stated on Sunday that the Trinamool Congress would not go for any bargaining. “We will do whatever is good for the people.”

Mamata said she was likely to leave for New Delhi in a day or two and that she had been in touch with Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and that her MPs would be in Delhi when needed. “Sonia Gandhi called us and we had a talk. Manmohan Singh called us and we had a talk. All our MPs will be present in Delhi whenever they are asked to.”

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