Will Congress join Mamata govt?

NEW DELHI, May 14 (PTI): Mamata Banerjee, the woman who single-handedly rewrote the political history of West Bengal, is now set to become the Chief Minister. The swearing is likely to take place sometime next week. The Trinamool Congress Legislature Party will meet Sunday to elect its leader. But before that, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee will meet Mamata Banerjee this evening to discuss several things regarding government formation. Mr Mukherjee and senior Congress leader Shakeel Ahmed are headed to Kolkata. Shakeel Ahmed said they will meet Congress state leaders before taking a call on Mamata's offer to join the state government. "We have said very categorically that the Congress will unconditionally support the next government that will be formed under the leadership of Ms Mamata Banerjee. But on the question of joining the government, we had said that it will be decided after the results in consultation with our state leadership in West Bengal, the newly elected legislators and on their feedback, the Central leadership of the Congress will take a final call," Mr Ahmed said. "Today, Mr Pranab Mukherjee and myself are going to Kolkata to meet our state leaders. After we submit our reports the high command will take a final call," he added. Meanwhile: Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, who will take over the reins of power in West Bengal from outgoing chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, said that her party would like to retain the Railway ministry. "Prime Minister will take a decision. I will be meeting him and the Congress president Sonia Gandhi soon," Banerjee told a group of journalists here.