State Bureau, Kolkata: Amid growing political churn within the Trinamool Congress (TMC) following a crushing defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections, senior party leader Firhad Hakim on Friday resigned as the Mayor of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC).

Hakim, a former state minister and a close aide of former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, announced his decision during a press conference at the corporation headquarters.

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This comes just a day after senior party leader Krishna Chakraborty resigned as the mayor of the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation, citing personal reasons.

'Carried All My Responsibilities Honestly, But…': Firhad Hakim

Resigning from the post of Mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), Hakim expressed his gratitude to the party supremo, stating, "I am thankful to our leader, Mamata Banerjee. In December 2018, I was elected (as the Mayor) by the councillors of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation after the abrupt resignation of former mayor Sovan Chatterjee. I carried all my responsibilities honestly...Now I'm not able to shoulder this responsibility because I believe that the Mayor's chair is not only a chair, it's a responsibility."

According to a report by Jagran.com, rumours of Hakim's exit had been swirling since Wednesday, when Trinamool Congress spokesperson and MLA Kunal Ghosh revealed that Firhad Hakim had again approached Mamata Banerjee to request permission to step down.

According to Ghosh, Hakim had previously expressed his desire to resign, citing difficulty in functioning in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) after the BJP came to power in Bengal. At that time, Banerjee had asked him to stay on.

However, on Wednesday, when Hakim approached Banerjee again to request permission to step down, the party chief accepted.

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Big Blow To TMC

His exit comes at a time when the TMC is grappling with a severe internal crisis and a wave of resignations by councillors in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation over the last few weeks.

Hakim, an influential minority figure within the TMC, had been serving as the mayor of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation since 2018. He was the first Muslim mayor of the city since independence.

He has also held several ministerial portfolios for 15 years under the previous Mamata Banerjee-led government.

(With Inputs From Jagran.com)