Mamata Banerjee asks state ministers to focus on areas where Trinamool trailed in LS polls

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday directed the members of the state Cabinet to concentrate more on developmental activities, especially in the areas where the Trinamool Congress trailed behind its opponents during the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections. It was the first meeting of the state Cabinet after the Lok Sabha polls. Sources said that despite winning 29 out of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal, a major erosion in the party’s vote bank was witnessed in certain pockets of the state. “The matter did not go unnoticed as the Chief Minister has now directed the Cabinet members to concentrate more on developmental activities in those pockets,” said a member of the state Cabinet who refused to be named. “She also directed the Cabinet members to engage in more in-depth interactions with the people and try to understand their grievances. She clearly said that unless we work hard for the people, they will not vote for us in the future,” the Cabinet member said. At the meeting, a proposal was passed for the creation of 517 posts in different departments of the state government.