Hakim yet to resign as Kolkata Mayor, having second thoughts

Senior Trinamool Congress leader Firhad Hakim is having 'second thoughts' about quitting as Kolkata Mayor, with the former minister yet to submit his resignation despite the party's claim that its supremo Mamata Banerjee had accepted his request to step down.

The uncertainty over Hakim's future as the city mayor surfaced hours after TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh announced that the party chief had cleared his resignation, even as fresh developments pointed to internal tensions over the mayor's participation in an administrative meeting chaired by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.

Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) Chairperson Mala Roy told PTI that she had not received any resignation letter from the mayor.

"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," Roy said.

The development came against the backdrop of mounting uncertainty within the Trinamool Congress following its loss of power in West Bengal and amid reports of internal disagreements over the party's future course.

Earlier in the day, Ghosh had said Hakim, one of the TMC's most prominent leaders and a close aide of Banerjee, had once again sought permission from the party chief to resign, following which she agreed.

"At that time, he was asked not to resign. However, he again requested Mamata Banerjee today to allow him to step down, following which she agreed," Ghosh told reporters.

However, TMC sources later indicated that Hakim had not taken a final decision and was reassessing his position, particularly after attending an administrative meeting at the state secretariat 'Nabanna' chaired by Adhikari.

According to party insiders, Hakim's participation in the meeting triggered a disagreement with sections of the TMC leadership, which questioned the political implications of attending an official programme convened by the Bharatiya Janata Party government.

"Firhad Hakim stood his ground and said he did the right thing by attending the administrative meeting as an MLA and Mayor. Politics and administration should not be confused," a senior TMC leader privy to the developments told PTI.

The leader said Hakim had been inclined to resign until recently but was now weighing his options.

"Firhad Hakim has not taken any final decision on resignation so far. Till a few days back, he was keen on resigning, but now he is having second thoughts about it," the leader added.

Hakim was among several senior TMC leaders, including party MLA Kunal Ghosh and legislator Nayana Bandyopadhyay, who attended Wednesday's administrative meeting at Nabanna, a move that attracted considerable attention amid the ongoing churn within the opposition party.

The uncertainty surrounding Hakim's future comes at a time when the TMC is facing organisational strains and a series of resignations by councillors in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation in recent weeks.


The KMC has been under the control of the TMC since 2010.

There was no official statement from Hakim till Wednesday night regarding whether he would proceed with the resignation.