For the first time since assuming office as Chief Minister of West Bengal, Suvendu Adhikari addressed an event with former councilors at Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) on Monday. The CM was seen sharing the stage with former Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim, who resigned from his post on June 5. Mala Roy, one of the 20 rebel TMC MPs was also on the stage. Roy is a councillor and has been KMC chairman.
CM Adhikari announced that elections will be held in December this year, in an attempt to restore the Trinamool Congress-controlled civic body, which was dissolved after Hakim’s resignation. The state government has currently appointed Smita Pandey as the administrator of the civic body until fresh elections are held. “By December, through elections, the civic body will be handed over to elected representatives,” said Adhikari.
He emphasised the importance of KMC in basic functionality of the city and emergency services and should transcend political lines.
After the BJP victory in West Bengal assembly elections and internal strife within TMC, many councilors resigned from their posts within KMC, later resulting in the mayor’s resignation. Hakim was also seen at an administrative meeting at the state secretariat Nabanna ahead of resigning as mayor.
After visiting KMC, Hakim was seen at the West Bengal assembly and had reportedly gone to meet Leader of Opposition (LoP) Ritabrata Banerjee and another rebel MLA Sandipan Saha. This was Hakim’s second visit to the assembly to meet the rebel MLAs, raising speculation of a switch over to the rebel bloc. The former mayor and close aide of Mamata, however, did not comment on reasons behind his visit.
The BJP government, with Adhikari at the helm of affairs, is putting forward an image of being an inclusive government, holding space for discussion with all stakeholders including the opposition, for effective decision making.
“He is trying to abolish the partisan disparities and individual acrimonious relationships. He is trying to put his government above partisan interests. This is a very good gesture on part of Suvendu Adhikari,” said political analyst Udayan Bandhopadhyay. He also is of the opinion that former councilors and others in the opposition should join the meeting as it called by the CM.
“This is a good gesture which is the beginning of a political change in West Bengal,” added Bandhopadhyay.
Politics has gotten in the way of effective governance in the state in the past, marred by political rivalry between the erstwhile Left Front government and TMC and Congress and later on, TMC and BJP. The new government is breaking old perceptions of a state that is confined by politics holding back on progress. The fact that TMC MLAs, former ministers and former councillors are joining administrative meetings, including the rebel bloc of the TMC, shows that Adhikari is going beyond merely being a CM calling the shots, which is welcomed by attendees across party lines. Whether this will culminate into effective governance with common citizens getting the benefits is yet to be seen.
