In another setback to Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress, senior party leader Krishna Chakraborty on Thursday resigned as the mayor of the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation, citing personal reasons.
A long-time associate of Trinamool Congress supremo and former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Krishna Chakraborty, submitted her resignation to the municipal commissioner earlier in the day.
"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 said as quoted by PTI.
This came a day after reports claimed that Mamata Banerjee's aide and former Bengal minister, Firhad Hakim, tendered his resignation as the mayor of Kolkata. However, a report by PTI stated that Firhad Hakim is "having second thoughts" about his decision and is yet to submit his resignation.
Uncertainty Over Firhad Hakim's Resignation As Kolkata Mayor Continues
Hakim's resignation buzz gained momentum after TMC leader Kunal Ghosh on Wednesday claimed that party supremo Mamata Banerjee has accepted his request to step down.
Ghosh said that Hakim, for the second time, sought permission from the party chief to resign, following which she agreed. "At that time, he was asked not to resign. However, he again requested Mamata Banerjee today to allow him to step down, following which she agreed," Ghosh said as quoted by PTI.
Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) Chairperson Mala Roy also confirmed that she had not received any resignation letter from the mayor. "I am yet to receive Firhad Hakim's resignation. As per norms, if the mayor wants to resign, he needs to submit it to me," Roy said.
Did Firhad Hakim's Presence At CM Suvendu's Meet Trigger Commotion?
According to TMC insiders, as reported by PTI, Firhad Hakim's presence at CM Suvendu Adhikari's administrative meeting at the Nabanna triggered a disagreement within the party, with one section questioning the political implications of attending an official programme convened by the BJP government.
However, Firhad Hakim reportedly defended his presence at the administrative meeting as the mayor of Kolkata. "Firhad Hakim stood his ground and said he did the right thing by attending the administrative meeting as an MLA and Mayor. Politics and administration should not be confused," a senior TMC leader said.
"Firhad Hakim has not taken any final decision on resignation so far. Till a few days back, he was keen on resigning, but now he is having second thoughts about it," the leader added.
Revolt In TMC:
The resignations came amid a revolt in the Trinamool Congress over the legislative party leader. On Wednesday, 58 rebel MLAs seized control of the party's legislature wing, elected expelled legislator Ritabrata Banerjee as its leader and secured recognition from the West Bengal Assembly Speaker.
The rebels, however, sought to temper the rebellion by urging Mamata Banerjee to serve as chief adviser to the newly constituted legislature team, even as the dissidents declared themselves the "real" Trinamool Congress in the Assembly.
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The dramatic development marked the culmination of a revolt that began with allegations of forged signatures on a letter proposing a Leader of Opposition and snowballed into an open challenge to the party leadership following the TMC's defeat at the hands of the BJP in the assembly elections.
(With Agency Inputs)