By IANS,
Kolkata : The Left Front exited power in West Bengal after 34 years Friday. Some landmark days from the record long reign:
1977
June 21: Left Front government, headed by Jyoti Basu, sworn in. First cabinet meeting decides to release political prisoners.
Sep 29: West Bengal Land (Amendment) Bill passed, paving the way for massive land reforms.
1978
June 4: Landslide victory of the Left Front in the three-tier panchayat elections.
July 4: State cabinet reduces voting age in the municipal election from 21 years to 18 years.
1980
May 27: Invalidates binding Code of Conduct upon state government employees, grants them full trade union rights, including the right to call and observe strikes.
1981
Sep 9: The Communist Party of India, the Democratic Socialist Party and the West Bengal Socialist Party join the Left Front.
Sep 23: Assembly accepts proposal favouring autonomy in Darjeeling hills.
1982
April 30: A nun and 16 Ananda Margi monks burnt to death on Bijon Setu in South Kolkata.
May 26: Second Left Front government comes to power.
1984
Oct 24: Metro Rail flagged off.
1985
June 30: First-time poll for Kolkata Corporation under new rule. Left Front wins.
1987
March 23: Landslide victory for Left Front in assembly polls.
1988
Aug 22: Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council agreement signed in Kolkata.
1990
Jan 10: Left Front chairman Saroj Mukherjee passes away. Sailen Dasgupta takes over.
1991
June 25: Jyoti Basu sworn in as chief minister of the fourth Left Front government.
1993
July 21: Thirteen Youth Congress supporters are shot by police as they try to march to Writers’ Buildings.
1995
Jan 30: West Bengal State Human Rights Commission – the country’s first ever state-level human rights commission – formed.
Dec 18: Large cache of sophisticated firearms air-dropped in Purulia.
1996
May 20: Fifth Left Front government comes to power.
1999
June 21: Left Front tenders demand for formalising the use of the name ‘Kolkata’ instead of ‘Calcutta’.
2000
Oct 27: Jyoti Basu calls it a day as chief minister.
Nov 6: Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee takes oath as chief minister.
2001
Jan 1: Administrative order for change of name from ‘Calcutta’ to ‘Kolkata’ issued.
May 18: The sixth Left Front government, headed by Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, takes charge.
July 10: Left Front chairman Sailen Dasgupta passes away.
July 13: Biman Bose takes over as chairman.
Jan 22 : Terrorist attack in front of American Center in Kolkata.
2006
March 16: Proposal for formation of autonomous board under the Sixth Schedule in Darjeeling hills adopted.
May 18: Seventh Left Front government elected. Tata Motors announces small car Nano project in Singur of Hooghly district.
December: Left Front faces resistance from villagers while acquiring land for plant.
2007
Jan 3: First incident of violence in Nandigram over a land acquisition circular for Chemical hub by Haldia Development Board.
Jan 4: Nandigram turns into a no man’s land with framers unwilling to part with their land.
March 14: Left Front police force tries to restore peace in Nandigram. Fourteen killed in police firing.
Nov 11: CPI-M regains control of Nandigram as several opposition activists are killed.
Nov 14: Filmmakers and other artists protest the alleged violence of CPI-M cadres to regain control of Nandigram. Several intellectuals boycott Kolkata Film festival.
2008
Aug 24: Trinamool Congress Chief Mamata Banerjee on sit-in protest in front of Tata plant in Singur. Demands return of 400 acres of land.
Sep 8: Accord reached between Left Front and Trinamool Congress on Singur issue.
Sep 13: Talks between Bhattacharjee and Banerjee fail to break deadlock.
Oct 3: Tata Motors exits Singur.
Nov 2: Bhattacharjee escapes ambush by Maoists in West Midnapore.
Nov 4-10: Maoist-backed Peoples’ Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA) formed.
2009
May 16: Left Front loses Lok Sabha polls. Congress-Trinamool Congress alliance grabs 26 seats out of 42.
2010
Feb 8: Left Front announces reservation for minorities.
June 2: Trinamool Congress wins Kolkata Municipal Corporation.
2011
April 18-May 10: Six phase assembly polls held.
May 13: Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress-Congress alliance sweep polls.