CM to decide on new Mayor today

Kolkata: Sovan Chatterjee will tender his resignation from the post of Mayor on Thursday after quitting as the state Fire and Emergency Services and Housing department on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, to discuss the nuances, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will meet the councillors of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation at Uttirna on Thursday.

The state government would have to look at the options for appointing a new Mayor, given the fact that the law only allowed an elected councillor to take charge of the post.

Mala Roy, the chairperson of KMC and Khalil Ahmed, the Municipal Commissioner, came to the KMC headquarters at S N Banerjee Road though it was a holiday on Wednesday in the state government offices. Initially, there was news that Chatterjee would send his resignation through a messenger. Roy left the KMC around 4 pm following instructions from the party.

The Trinamool Congress has 123 councillors in the 144-member civic board.

The civic board with member, Mayor-in-Council system was introduced in 1985 and Kamal Basu was the first Mayor. He was an alderman and not an elected councillor. Left Front had two aldermen and even Congress had two. Later, the provision related to the appointment of Mayor was amended and the post of alderman was abolished. Now, only a councillor can become a Mayor.

Speculations are on about the appointment of a Mayor who is not a councillor and in that case, it will be necessary to amend a portion of the KMC Act that deals with the Mayor's appointment. According to the KMC Act, the Mayor will have to be an elected councillor. If a non-councillor is appointed as the Mayor, then the person will have to win the by-election.

For the past one year, the relation between Mamata Banerjee and Sovan Chatterjee had got strained after the latter failed to concentrate on his official responsibilities despite repeated requests from the Chief Minister.