Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim resigns after seeking Mamata Banerjee’s nod, says: “During my tenure, Kolkata faced…” | Today’s news

Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Firhad Hakim resigned as mayor of Kolkata on Friday, a move seen as another sign of political fallout from the party’s electoral defeat in the assembly elections, now affecting institutions that have long formed the backbone of its influence.

Considered one of the most prominent minority leaders of the TMC and a long-time close associate of Mamata Banerjee, Hakim tendered his resignation as KMC chairperson Mala Roy. The administration of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is now expected to be handled by bureaucrats till the state government decides on the next steps.

What did Hakim say?

“During my tenure, Kolkata faced several difficult situations, including Cyclone Amphan and the COVID-19 pandemic. We overcame these challenges with the support of KMC officials and the people of the city. I worked with authority and conviction. Now that is not possible. I cannot continue to hold this seat and disrespect his dignity,” Pka, as a general, said without a general. I don’t want to stay here as a general.

Before resigning, Firhad Hakim said at a press conference that he no longer felt able to fulfill the duties of the mayor’s office as he believed. The four-time MLA said he sought TMC chief Mamata Banerjee’s approval before taking his decision. “I told my manager I wanted to leave with my head held high. She said fine,” he said.

Hakim also admitted that several initiatives remained unfinished. “A lot of work remains unfinished. I wish those who run the corporation after me all the best. Maybe they will do a better job than I did,” he added.

The resignation comes just a day after Bidhannagar Mayor Krishna Chakraborty and Chandannagore Mayor Ram Chakraborty resigned from their posts, amid a wider wave of resignations involving councilors and civic officials in several municipalities in West Bengal.

Firhad Hakim took over as the Mayor of Kolkata in November 2018 after the resignation of Sovan Chatterjee and became one of the most influential figures in the city’s administration. He also made history as the first Muslim mayor of Calcutta since independence.

The post of mayor he left behind has a venerable 150-year legacy and was previously held by prominent leaders including Chittaranjan Das, Subhas Chandra Bose and Bidhan Chandra Roy.

“When I first became mayor, I never imagined that I could become a worthy successor of such great personalities,” said Hakim.

Hakim’s resignation is widely seen as the clearest sign yet that the impact of the TMC’s electoral setback is beginning to unsettle the communal network that has long formed the backbone of the party machinery and political influence.

The KMC remained under the control of the TMC since 2010, a year before Mamata Banerjee ended the Left Front’s 34-year rule in West Bengal.

Municipalities and municipal corporations have functioned for more than a decade and a half as some of the party’s most reliable centers of power. In recent weeks, however, there have been increasing signs of tension.

Several municipalities have seen groups of councilors resign, civic governing bodies face instability and elected representatives distance themselves from organizational roles, raising questions about the cohesion of the party’s local government network.