TMC's Firhad Hakim to be Kolkata's first Muslim mayor since 1947

In the 145-year history of Kolkata Municipal Corporation, nationalist leaders like Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Bidhan Chandra Roy, also a former chief minister, graced the mayor's chair in pre-Independent India.

Senior TMC leader Firhad Hakim is all set to become the next mayor of the city after being elected the leader of the newly-elected councillors of its civic body on Thursday.

He will take oath next week and will be the first mayor from the Muslim community since independence.

Hakim, who holds the transport and housing portfolios in the Mamata Banerjee cabinet, will be the 39th mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC).

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that KMC's performance will be reviewed every six months and action will be taken against those who are found to be non-performing.

Hakim had served as city mayor from December 2018 after Sovan Chatterjee's abrupt exit and was in the post till May 2020. He was appointed the civic body's administrator after the earlier board's term expired and election to the civic body could not be held due to the pandemic.

He had won the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) poll from ward 82 and is an MLA from the Kolkata Port assembly seat.

"I want to thank Mamata Banerjee for giving me this opportunity to serve the people of Kolkata again. After taking oath as Mayor I will work towards implementing the TMC manifesto," he said.

South Kolkata Lok Sabha MP Mala Roy, who was re-elected as councillor from ward 88, was named the chairperson of KMC. She was chairperson of the civic body in the earlier term as well.

Kashipur-Belgachia MLA Atin Ghosh, who became the councillor from ward 11, was re-elected the deputy mayor of the civic body.

All the names were announced by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at a meeting of the TMC here. She also announced the names of 13 mayors-in-council.

In line with the party's policy of empowerment of women in politics, the TMC supremo made women councillors chairpersons in nine out of the city's 16 boroughs.

The KMC, which is divided into 144 administrative wards, is grouped into 16 boroughs.

"No one should think that we have won and we can sit idle now. That won't be tolerated, everybody has to work diligently. There is no place for complacency and arrogance. KMC's performance will be reviewed every six months and action will be taken against those who are found to be non-performing both by the party and the administration," she said.

Banerjee said TMC will not induct independents as it would be unjust for the leaders and workers of the respective wards.

She lauded the State Election Commission and police for conducting peaceful election.

All the 134 newly-elected councillors of TMC were present in the meeting.

BJP has won only three wards, while the Left Front and Congress have bagged two each in the election held on Sunday. Three independent candidates also won the city civic poll.

The results were declared on Tuesday.

The TMC has been in power in KMC since 2010. In the last KMC polls in 2015, it had won 124 seats and the LF 13. The BJP and the Congress had secured five and two seats respectively.

In the 145-year history of Kolkata Municipal Corporation, nationalist leaders like Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Bidhan Chandra Roy, also a former chief minister, graced the mayor's chair in pre-Independent India.