KOLKATA: In a fresh setback for the Trinamool Congress in urban local bodies, Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation mayor Krishna Chakraborty resigned from her post on Thursday, a day after Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) Mayor Firhad Hakim expressed his intent to step down, citing difficulties in functioning within the civic body.
Chakraborty, a close associate of West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee since 1984, tendered her resignation to the BMC commissioner, citing personal reasons and expressing her desire to focus on her role as a councillor after serving as mayor for 16 consecutive years.
"This is entirely my personal decision. I have been in this chair for 16 years. I have no grudge against anyone. I have followed the rules to resign. I want to give some time to myself. I want to work as a councillor," Chakraborty told reporters.
Officials of the civic body confirmed receipt of her resignation letter.
With Chakraborty’s resignation, the Trinamool Congress ruled Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation, popularly known as the Salt Lake Municipal Corporation, is expected to be outside the administrative control of the former ruling party in Bengal.
On Wednesday, Hakim, former urban development and municipal affairs minister in the erstwhile Trinamool Congress cabinet led by Mamata Banerjee, met the party supremo at her Kalighat residence in south Kolkata and expressed his desire to resign as Kolkata mayor.
Mamata initially prevented Hakim, a councillor of KMC ward 82, from taking such a decision but later gave him clearance to step down.
Hakim on Wednesday night told the media that he would submit his resignation letter to Mala Roy, KMC chairperson and Trinamool Congress MP from Kolkata South constituency, on Thursday. However, he is yet to submit the resignation letter till this evening.
Trinamool Congress MLA and party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh told the media, “The working environment in the Kolkata civic body is not congenial and that is why, Firhad Hakim informed the matter to our leader Mamata Banerjee expressing his desire to resign because of difficulties in functioning as mayor.”
“Initially, she prevented him from quitting the mayor post but he wanted to resign with dignity. After that Mamata gave her nod,” Ghosh said.
Hakim is the first ever Muslim mayor of KMC since 1876 when it was formed. He was appointed Kolkata mayor in 2018 and has since held both the posts of minister and mayor simultaneously. He is a councillor of KMC ward 82.
The development comes amid growing uncertainty within the Trinamool Congress and a series of resignations by party councillors as well as members of the mayor-in-council in the Kolkata civic body in recent weeks.
In a bid to retain administrative control of the KMC, Roy, who belongs to the old Trinamool faction led by Mamata Banerjee, has convened a monthly meeting of the civic body on June 19.
Earlier on May 22, an unprecedented incident took place at the KMC headquarters in Esplanade when Trinamool Congress councillors arrived for a monthly meeting called by Roy but were unable to enter the conference hall, which was locked from outside. The matter was taken to the Calcutta High Court seeking intervention.
Following the High Court directive, Roy has convened another meeting on June 19.
