Former Kolkata mayor Sovan Chatterjee met Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Monday after formally taking charge as Newtown Kolkata Development Corporation(NKDA) chairman, signalling his comeback in an administrative role for the state government. Chatterjee was accompanied by his partner, Baishaki Banerjee.
“TMC is my own family, my own house. I am back as a son of the house to go onto the streets to strengthen the TMC, the way Mamata and Abhishek Banerjee want me to," said Sovan Chatterjee.
Chatterjee is back in the TMC fold after a hiatus of almost eight years. Chatterjee stepped down as mayor and fire and housing minister in 2018, after upsetting the TMC leadership over his personal life taking the spotlight, overshadowing his administrative work, causing embarrassment for the party.
While Chatterjee and his partner Baishaki Banerjee made headlines for their personal lives, his estranged wife Ratna Chatterjee was given a ticket from TMC and won from his former constituency of Behala Purba.
Chatterjee, who joined the Bharatiya Janata Party subsequently ahead of the assembly elections, was not given a ticket to contest. Chatterjee quit the saffron party in the coming days, after a brief stint and staying away from active politics before he was seen sending feelers to TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee a few years ago, signalling his eagerness to return to the party fold. In the past, Chatterjee has been one of Mamata’s trusted aides.
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“A few days ago, I was given the responsibility of NKDA chairman by the state government. I will leave no stone unturned to work with all sincerity," added Chatterjee.
“I want to strengthen the party with whatever responsibilities I am given in future," said the former Mayor who became a KMC councillor in 1985 and served as mayor from 2010 to 2018. The TMC is looking to cash in on his administrative expertise yet again as NKDA chairman, an expertise that propelled him to the post of mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC).
TMC is looking to strengthen its party with prominent faces it can rely on to garner the trust of the voters. While it is unclear whether Chatterjee will be given bigger party or administrative responsibilities in the coming days, his appointment as NKDA chairman is also a litmus test for the former mayor and whether he can prove his mettle yet again as an able administrator. With the 2026 assembly elections approaching, while Chatterjee will look forward to a bigger piece of the TMC pie, the TMC is weighing all options to test what will work in their favour.