MAMATA BANERJEE

Constituency : Calcutta South

Every event is tinder for firebrand leader Mamata Banerjee, who formed the Trinamool Congress with P A Sangma. On the campaign trail Banerjee claimed she was assaulted by her own police escorts. Drama aside, the NDA ally defeated her rival candidate Rabin Das of the CPM by 98,429 votes, a much smaller margin than her 1999 victory.

Photographs: DESHAKALYAN CHOWDHURY/AFP/Getty Images