For years, Mamata Banerjee fought a lonely battle against the Left in West Bengal but the stir in Singur and Nandigram won her supporters from all walks of life. The Sunday Express profiles the men and women of the Trinamool Congress who won the war for Mamata

Doctors, lawyers, actors, all joined Mamata—some as recent as when they were given a Lok Sabha ticket—and scripted the Trinamool Congress’s spectacular success.

The party won 19 seats and ended the Left’s run in the state, reducing its tally from 35 in 2004 to 15.

Among the TMC’s newly elected MPs are seasoned lawyers whose oratory skills came in handy for campaigning, three doctors who have successful practices in Kolkata, actors who have ruled Bengali cinema and a musician whose songs speak of revolution. There is also a father-son duo and a founder-member of the TMC who had parted ways with the party, only to return. But elections over, the real challenge for Mamata lies in leading such a varied group

Shatabdi roy, 40

She came, she contested, she won. When Shatabdi Roy made her electoral debut this year, contesting from the Left bastion of Birbhum, not everyone gave her a chance. But she won. She’s new to politics but has loads of experience in the film industry. She started off as an actor and later evolved into a director and acting-teacher. Roy has also dabbled in Bengali poetry. Back in 1986, Roy won accolades for her role in the Tapan Sinha thriller Atanka.

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