Mamata wins Bengal civic polls, demands early elections

Reacting to Mamata's victory, Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee said, "I will like to congratulate Mamata for her excellent performance both in Calcutta and also in the districts. I accept the failure of the Congress to come up to the expectations we had and I accept the verdict of the people with all humility...till the final results come, it will be difficult to say what has been the net loss or net gain, but we have done badly... there is no doubt in that."(Watch: Pranab Mukherjee congratulates Mamata).

The TMC says that with the Left losing considerable ground, the state elections should be held sooner than scheduled (in 2011). (Watch: Trinamool for early Assembly polls)

The Left government has lost the mandate to rule, said TMC leader Saugata Ray. "The Left front is already a defeated party. People have opted for the leadership of Mamata Banerjee. If they (Left) have any sense of self-respect, they should resign and pave the way for an election," he said.  (Watch: We accept people's verdict, says Left)