KOLKATA: Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced on Monday that elections to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) will be conducted after the delimitation of wards, and a new civic board will be in place by December 7. The KMC elections, he stated, will be held concurrently with polls to other civic bodies, including the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Howrah Municipal Corporation (HMC).
Delimitation Process
Prior to the civic polls, Adhikari said, Kolkata will undergo delimitation, or restructuring of wards. The last delimitation in Kolkata, which currently has 144 wards with significant population variance among them, was carried out in 2010. This restructuring aims to address demographic changes and ensure equitable representation.
“The election will definitely be held within six months. By December 7, the state election commission (SEC) will hand over KMC to elected public representatives,” Adhikari said at the launch of a cleanliness drive at the KMC headquarters.
Challenges for SEC
The SEC, which has been functioning without a chief since former state election commissioner Rajiva Sinha stepped down last September, faces a challenging task ahead. The terms of 127 municipalities and municipal corporations across Bengal are set to expire over the next six months, necessitating timely elections.
Funding and Infrastructure
Adhikari noted that KMC is poised to receive central and state funds for infrastructure and environmental improvements. “While KMC can gain Rs 600 crore from the state government, it is entitled to get Rs 500 crore under Swachh Bharat and Rs 500 crore under Namami Gange,” he said. These funds are expected to boost urban development and sanitation projects.
Background of KMC Dissolution
The CM’s announcement on the KMC polls follows the resignation of Firhad Hakim as Kolkata’s mayor on June 5, which led to the dissolution of the civic board. The board’s term was originally set to expire in December. After Hakim submitted his resignation, the state urban development department appointed KMC commissioner Smita Pandey as administrator of the civic body.
Pointing to the stalemate that followed Hakim’s resignation, the CM said the Trinamool Congress was given 72 hours to select a new mayoral candidate, as the BJP did not believe in back-door politics. “As they failed to reach a consensus, we had to appoint an administrator to run KMC,” the CM added.
Similar Situations in BMC and HMC
In BMC, the commissioner was also appointed as administrator after Trinamool’s Krishna Chakraborty resigned from the mayor’s post. HMC, where elections have not been held since 2018, is also under an administrator. Adhikari emphasized that an administrator could not run KMC indefinitely, as the law mandates an election within six months of the board’s dissolution. “We have no interest in doing anything through the back door. Everything will be transparent,” he said.
Response from Former Councillors
The CM expressed satisfaction over the presence of former Trinamool councillors at the civic headquarters. “I am happy that they responded to an appeal made by the administrator. Hope they will continue to stand by KMC officials to serve the citizens till an elected board takes charge in December,” he said.
Until a new board takes over, the CM said MLAs will look after citizens’ “daily needs”, not councillors. Apart from Hakim, former councillors Mala Roy and Sandipan Saha were present at the event titled “Welcome to Cleanliness.”
