Mamata Banerjee, the three-time Chief Minister of Bengal, suffered a double whammy today. The first - a massive split in her Trinamool Congress with the desertion of 59 of her 80 MLAs for rebel leader Ritabrata Banerjee - was in the making for a few days. The expulsion of Ritabrata Banerjee and his close aide Sandipan Saha had not averted it. The second - though minor in comparison - would hurt no less: The stepping down of Firhad Hakim as the Mayor of Kolkata.
That decision was also in the works. With around 100 councillors deserting the party, Hakim had offered to resign earlier, but Mamata Banerjee had refused to consider it. On Wednesday, she was left with no choice.
"The party supremo initially advised against it. However, Firhad expressed his desire to be relieved of his duties with dignity. Following this, Mamata gave her consent," said senior Trinamool leader Kunal Ghosh.
The Trinamool's troubles had started after an administrative meeting convened by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari at the state secretariat Nabanna.
On Wednesday, several Trinamool MLAs had attended the meeting. Not just Hakim, but others who had contributed to the party's headache with their unfiltered comments, were also there. A source in Trinamool said Firhad Hakim had started talking of resignation immediately on his return from the meeting.
Hakim, who also represents the Kolkata Port constituency in the state assembly, was a loyalist of Mamata Banerjee in politics.
A cabinet-ranked minister in Mamata Banerjee's government, he had handled the Urban development portfolio. He was made the Mayor in December 2018 after Sobhandeb Chatterjee stepped down from the post. It was history in the making. Hakim was the first Muslim Mayor of the Kolkata Corporation - an organisation founded 150 years ago.
In 2021, the MLA for the Kolkata Port constituency - who also serves as the Councillor for Ward No. 82 - assumed the mayoral office for a second term.
On Tuesday, Tarak Singh had stepped down from his position as the Member, Mayor-in-Council, of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.
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