Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim Resigns After Seeking Mamata Banerjee's Approval, Says 'During My Tenure, Kolkata Faced...'

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Firhad Hakim stepped down as Kolkata mayor on Friday, a move seen as another sign of the political fallout following the party's Assembly election setback, which is now affecting institutions that have long formed the backbone of its influence.

Hakim, regarded as one of the TMC's most prominent minority leaders and a longtime close aide of Mamata Banerje, submitted his resignation to the office of KMC Chairperson Mala Roy. The administration of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is now expected to be handled by bureaucrats until the state government determines the next steps.

What did Hakim say?

"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. 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," Hikam stated, according to PTI.

Before stepping down, Firhad Hakim told a press conference that he no longer felt able to fulfil the responsibilities of the mayor's office in the way he believed was required. The four-time MLA said he had sought the approval of TMC chief Mamata Banerjee before making his decision.“I told my leader that I want to leave with my head held high. She said okay,” he said.

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Hakim also conceded that several initiatives 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 added.

The resignation comes just a day after Bidhannagar Mayor Krishna Chakraborty and Chandannagore Mayor Ram Chakraborty stepped down from their posts, amid a broader wave of resignations involving councillors and civic officials across several municipalities in West Bengal

Firhad Hakim assumed office as Kolkata mayor in November 2018 following the resignation of Sovan Chatterjee and went on to become one of the most influential figures in the city's civic administration. He also made history as Kolkata's first Muslim mayor since Independence.

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The mayoral office he leaves behind has a distinguished 150-year legacy and has previously been held by prominent leaders including Chittaranjan Das, Subhas Chandra Bose and Bidhan Chandra Roy.

"When I first became mayor, I never imagined I could become a worthy successor to such great personalities," Hakim stated.

Hakim's resignation is widely being viewed as the clearest indication yet that the fallout from the TMC's electoral setback is beginning to unsettle the municipal network that has long formed the backbone of the party's grassroots machinery and political influence.

The KMC has remained under TMC control since 2010, a year before Mamata Banerjee brought an end to the Left Front's 34-year rule in West Bengal.

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For more than a decade and a half, municipalities and municipal corporations functioned as some of the party's most reliable centres of power. However, signs of strain have increasingly emerged in recent weeks.

Several municipalities have witnessed groups of councillors stepping down, civic governing bodies facing instability, and elected representatives distancing themselves from organisational roles, raising questions about the cohesion of the party's local governance network.

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