Senior Trinamool Congress leader Firhad Hakim is set to resign as the mayor of Kolkata after party chief Mamata Banerjee accepted his request to step down, party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said on Wednesday.
Firhad Hakim has repeatedly expressed his desire before party supremo Mamata Banerjee to resign from the mayor’s post. Mamata tried to dissuade him. He, however, said that the civic body has been made defunct. After considering all sides the TMC chief gave her nod to Hakim to resign from the post.
Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) chairperson Mala Roy told news agency PTI: “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.”
Hakim, an MLA from Kolkata’s port area and a close aide of Banerjee, has served as Kolkata’s mayor since 2018 and has held several key ministerial portfolios in the state government over the years.
The KMC has been under TMC’s control since 2010. This comes at a time when TMC is facing its most serious internal revolt since losing power in West Bengal, with a large section of its legislators openly backing expelled MLA Ritabrata Banerjee and challenging the party’s existing leadership structure.
