Firhad Hakim resigns as Kolkata Mayor after Mamata’s nod

Senior Trinamool Congress leader Firhad Hakim has submitted his resignation from the post of Kolkata Mayor after receiving approval from party supremo Mamata Banerjee. The development comes at a time when the party is facing internal challenges and increasing political debate over its future direction in West Bengal. Hakim, considered one of Mamata Banerjee’s closest associates, took the step amid growing discussions surrounding the party’s organisational and political strategy.

The resignation comes against the backdrop of ongoing debate within the opposition camp regarding participation in administrative meetings convened by the state government. The government has maintained that such meetings are administrative exercises open to elected representatives across party lines. Earlier, Chief Minister Adhikari had announced that opposition MPs and MLAs would be invited to government programmes and district-level review meetings. The issue has become a point of discussion among opposition leaders and party workers in recent weeks.

Recently, senior TMC leader Kunal Ghosh defended participation in such meetings but acknowledged that the matter was under discussion within the party. He stated that while the party was not in favour of boycotting administrative meetings, concerns raised by party workers over post-poll violence required careful consideration. Hakim’s resignation is likely to intensify discussions over the future shape of the TMC leadership and the party’s political strategy in the coming weeks.