No-trust motion against West Bengal government defeated

A no-confidence motion moved by the Left Front against the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal, led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, in the Assembly was defeated by 91 votes on Tuesday.
During the division of votes, the government got 142 votes against 51 in favour of the motion in the 294-member house.

The motion moved by Leader of the Opposition Surya Kanta Mishra and five other Left Front legislators read "This House express its want of confidence in the council of ministers". The debate over the motion was held in the absence of the chief minister who was away in Delhi. While the Congress members did not participate in the three-hour debate over the motion, lone BJP member Samik Bhattacherjee who took part in the discussion left the House much before the voting took place. An SUCI(C) member Tarun Naskar participated in the debate and voting.

This was for the first time a no-trust motion was brought against the TMC government since it came to power in May, 2011. The speakers against the motion, including finance minister Amit Mitra, education minister Partha Chatterjee, urban development minister Firhad Hakim and panchayat minister Subrata Mukherjee, highlighted the government's performance in revenue earnings, agriculture and housing among others and the success in the restoration of peace in the former Maoist stronghold of Jangalmahal. Left legislators, including Leader of the Opposition Surya Kanta Mishra, spoke in support of the motion which was moved at a time of CBI probe into the Saradha chit fund scam, Burdwan blast and political violence.