Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Friday met 18 councillors of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) at the state Assembly. The KMC will go to the polls next year, and it will be a major test for the Trinamool Congress after its poor results in the recent Lok Sabha polls.
Banerjee, who was in the state Assembly today, called the Trinamool Congress councillors from Behala though there were no such plans earlier, and had an informal chat with them. It is being said that Banerjee’s meeting with the councillors from Behala area is especially significant ahead of the KMC elections, as this area is former Mayor Sovon Chatterjee’s political stronghold.
Chatterjee – who had a major fallout with Mamata Banerjee last year – is rumoured to be in contact with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a party he may join as per speculations. However, Chatterjee has always denied this.
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He has been a Trinamool Congress councillor from Behala for many terms, became the mayor-in-council in charge of water supply, and has been elected a lawmaker from the Behala East constituency. In addition, he was in charge with the party’s activities in the South 24 Parganas district. He has been minister in Banerjee’s cabinet, apart from being the Kolkata Mayor. Though officially, he continues to be with the Trinamool Congress, he has tendered his resignation as Mayor and Minister after a fallout with the chief minister.
After the Trinamool Congress’ poor performance in the Lok Sabha polls, current Mayor Firhad Hakim had called Sovon Chatterjee and asked him to get back with the party and join actively “forgetting about what happened in the past”. Sovon Chatterjee – though he has been a Trinamool loyal for decades – is learned to have not responded very enthusiastically.
Under this backdrop, Banerjee’s meeting with the councillors from Behala is being considered important as the KMC is preparing to go to the polls next year, and the Trinamool leadership wants to be sure of the allegiance of these councillors who have long worked with Sovon Chatterjee. The Trinamool Congress leaders are still unsure whether or not Chatterjee would be back into the party actively or leave, but they want to ensure no one else leave ahead of the elections, especially those considered close to the former Mayor.
