India, June 5 -- TMC leader Firhad Hakim quit as Kolkata mayor on Friday, in a signal that the aftershocks of the party's assembly poll rout are now shaking the urban power structures that long anchored its political dominance. With the mayor's resignation, the administration of the civic body is expected to pass into bureaucratic hands until the state government decides on the next course of action. Hakim, one of the TMC's most recognisable minority faces and among party supremo Mamata Banerjee's longest-serving lieutenants, submitted his resignation to Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) Chairperson Mala Roy's office.
Addressing a press conference before demitting office, Hakim said he could no longer discharge his responsibilities in the manner he believed the office demanded. "During my tenure, Kolkata faced several difficult situations, including Cyclone Amphan and the COVID-19 pandemic. We overcame those challenges with the support of KMC officials and the people of the city," he said. "I worked with authority and conviction. Now that is no longer possible. I cannot continue occupying this chair and disrespecting its dignity. I don't want to remain here like a general without an army," he said. The four-time MLA said he had sought TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee's permission before taking the decision. "I told my leader that I want to leave with my head held high. She said okay," he added.
Hakim also acknowledged that several projects remained unfinished. "A lot of work remains incomplete. I wish those who run the corporation after me all the best. They may do a better job than I could," he said. The development comes barely a day after Bidhannagar Mayor Krishna Chakraborty and Chandannagore Mayor Ram Chakraborty quit their posts, and follows a series of resignations by councillors and civic office-bearers across municipalities in different parts of the state. Hakim became mayor in November 2018 after the resignation of Sovan Chatterjee and subsequently emerged as one of the most influential faces of the civic administration. He was the first Muslim mayor of Kolkata since Independence.
The office he vacates carries a legacy stretching back 150 years and was once occupied by luminaries such as Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and former chief minister Bidhan Chandra Roy. "When I first became mayor, I never imagined I could become a worthy successor to such great personalities," Hakim said. Reacting to his resignation, BJP MLA and councillor Sajal Ghosh said Hakim was a "failure" as the mayor of the metropolis. "What has he done for the city? His resignation only reflects how flawed the entire dispensation was. He resigned because there has been a change of guard in the state," he said.
Hakim also acknowledged that several projects remained unfinished. "A lot of work remains incomplete. I wish those who run the corporation after me all the best. They may do a better job than I could," he said. The development comes barely a day after Bidhannagar Mayor Krishna Chakraborty and Chandannagore Mayor Ram Chakraborty quit their posts, and follows a series of resignations by councillors and civic office-bearers across municipalities in different parts of the state. Hakim became mayor in November 2018 after the resignation of Sovan Chatterjee and subsequently emerged as one of the most influential faces of the civic administration. He was the first Muslim mayor of Kolkata since Independence.
The office he vacates carries a legacy stretching back 150 years and was once occupied by luminaries such as Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and former chief minister Bidhan Chandra Roy. "When I first became mayor, I never imagined I could become a worthy successor to such great personalities," Hakim said. Reacting to his resignation, BJP MLA and councillor Sajal Ghosh said Hakim was a "failure" as the mayor of the metropolis. "What has he done for the city? His resignation only reflects how flawed the entire dispensation was. He resigned because there has been a change of guard in the state," he said.
Yet the symbolism of his departure extends far beyond City Hall. Hakim's resignation is seen as the strongest sign yet that the aftershocks of the TMC's electoral defeat are beginning to shake the municipal network that long underpinned its grassroots organisation and political dominance. The KMC has been under TMC control since 2010, a year before Mamata Banerjee ended 34 years of Left rule in West Bengal. For over 15 years, municipalities and municipal corporations served as the party's most dependable power centres. But that fortress now appears under strain. In recent weeks, councillors have resigned in groups, civic boards have become unstable and elected representatives in several municipalities have distanced themselves from organisational responsibilities. Party and civic sources estimate that around 100 TMC councillors of civic bodies across the state have either resigned or withdrawn from active roles since the change of guard in Bengal. For the TMC, however, Friday's resignation is about more than the departure of a mayor. The battle after the assembly poll defeat is no longer confined to the legislature or the party headquarters. It has now reached the municipalities that formed the backbone of the TMC's everyday political power.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.