Sanchita Chatterjee, BS News Agency: A turbulent situation prevails across almost all municipalities in the state. Municipal boards have been dissolved one after another. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation, too, has been in a state of turmoil for the past few days. Questions regarding the Trinamool Congress's stance were being raised repeatedly. Now, Firhad Hakim has officially resigned from the post of Mayor of Kolkata. Significantly, on the very day he tendered his resignation, the Trinamool Congress was—in effect—split into two factions. The 'Ghasphul' (Grass-flower) camp has been completely reshuffled; all posts within the Trinamool's various mass organizations have been abolished.
According to reports, under municipal laws, Firhad Hakim must now officially appear before the Chairperson or Commissioner of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation to formally submit his resignation. It remains to be seen when he will do so. Incidentally, following the change of regime in the state, there had been considerable controversy surrounding the first session of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation; at one point, the session was even cancelled.
It is reported that Mamata Banerjee has already accepted Firhad's resignation. Trinamool MLA Kunal Ghosh stated, "Firhad Hakim had repeatedly expressed his desire to resign to our party supremo. I was present on the final day as well. A discussion took place, during which he remarked that, given the prevailing circumstances, it was no longer possible to carry out his duties."
Subsequently, citing the administrative meeting held at Nabanna earlier today, Kunal added, "The discussions held during the administrative meeting also concluded that the current arrangement was ineffective and that work could not proceed smoothly. Consequently, the Commissioner will now function in consultation with the MLAs. Furthermore, Firhad Hakim had apprised Mamata Banerjee of the situation that had unfolded over the past few days. After carefully weighing all aspects—and with the specific intent of safeguarding Firhad Hakim's dignity and ensuring he faces no disrespect—our party supremo has granted him permission to step down from the office of Mayor."