- Firhad Hakim, a trusted Mamata Banerjee aide, has resigned as Kolkata Mayor, deepening the crisis in Trinamool
- Hakim, 67, has served as Kolkata Mayor since 2018
- There was no immediate word on who would succeed Hakim as the Mayor of Kolkata
Firhad Hakim, Mamata Banerjee's trusted aide, on Wednesday quit as Kolkata Mayor, delivering another setback to a beleaguered Trinamool.
The development comes amid growing uncertainty within the Trinamool and a series of resignations by party councillors in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) in recent weeks.
There was no immediate word on who would succeed 67-year-old Hakim as the Mayor of Kolkata.
One of the party's most prominent leaders, Hakim had earlier sought permission from the Trinamool chief to resign from the post, citing difficulties in functioning after the BJP came to power in Bengal.
"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," Trinamool MLA Kunal Ghosh told reporters.
Hakim, a heavyweight minority face of the Trinamool, has served as Kolkata Mayor since 2018 and has held several key ministerial portfolios in the state government over the years.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation has been under the control of the Trinamool since 2010.
Last month, Trinamool Congress' general secretary and the party's Lok Sabha member, Abhishek Banerjee, had sent a letter to the office of the Speaker naming Sovandeb Chattopadhyay as the Leader of Opposition, Nayna Bandopadhyay and Asima Patra as the two deputy leaders of the opposition and Firhad Hakim as the Chief Whip of Trinamool Congress' legislature party in the Assembly.
Meanwhile, rebellion started brewing within Trinamool Congress, which took a final shape on Wednesday with a new block formed, claiming to be the real representative of the Trinamool.
A group of dissident Trinamool legislators met the Assembly speaker and submitted letters of support from 58 MLAs backing Ritabrata Banerjee, who was expelled from Trinamool on Monday for anti-party activities, for the post of the Leader of Opposition.
Out of the 80 Trinamool legislators in the Assembly, 58 have revolted under the leadership of the expelled party legislators Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha.
Meaning, the Trinamool has split a month after the party faced a landslide defeat in the recently concluded Bengal Assembly elections.
