Hakim, one of Banerjee’s closest and most visible lieutenants, had held charge of the city’s civic body through a turbulent phase marked by pandemic-era delays, municipal elections, infrastructure pressures and repeated opposition attacks over urban governance. His departure from the mayoral office marks a major shift in Kolkata’s municipal leadership and places the Trinamool Congress under pressure to identify a successor capable of managing both civic delivery and political messaging in the state capital.
Party functionaries said Hakim had sought permission to step aside and that Banerjee had allowed him to resign. The move came a day after Tarak Singh, the mayor-in-council member responsible for drainage, left his post after airing grievances linked to the functioning of the civic body. The back-to-back exits have raised questions over administrative cohesion at the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and the balance of authority within the city unit of the Trinamool Congress.
Hakim, widely known as Bobby Hakim, became mayor in 2018 after Sovan Chatterjee’s exit and later returned to the post following the 2021 municipal polls. He also served as chairperson of the board of administrators when municipal elections were delayed during the Covid-19 period. His tenure placed him at the centre of decisions on roads, drainage, water supply, public health, solid waste management and ward-level services across one of the country’s largest urban centres.
The resignation is politically significant because Hakim was not merely a civic administrator. He was also a cabinet minister in the West Bengal government for several years and a key organiser in Kolkata’s urban political network. His hold over Ward 82 and the Kolkata Port assembly constituency gave him a durable base in south and central Kolkata, while his proximity to Banerjee made him a central figure in the party’s municipal strategy.
Kolkata Municipal Corporation covers 144 wards and is responsible for essential services in a dense metropolitan area where monsoon flooding, ageing drainage systems, waste disposal, waterlogging, building safety and public health remain recurring administrative tests. The mayor’s office is therefore a politically sensitive post, especially in a city where civic complaints can quickly turn into wider criticism of the ruling party.
Opposition parties are expected to use Hakim’s resignation to question the stability of the Trinamool Congress and the functioning of the civic body. The BJP and Left parties have repeatedly targeted the corporation over drainage failures, road maintenance, dengue outbreaks, alleged irregularities in building permissions and service delivery gaps. Trinamool leaders, however, have argued that the corporation has expanded civic services, upgraded roads and water supply networks, and maintained welfare-oriented urban governance despite financial and logistical constraints.
The timing of the resignation adds to the pressure on Banerjee’s organisation. The Trinamool Congress has been dealing with internal unease, leadership disputes and public scrutiny over its organisational structure. Hakim’s exit from the mayoral chair gives the party another sensitive vacancy to manage at a time when loyalty, administrative performance and public perception are all under close watch.
No successor had been formally announced immediately after the resignation. The party and civic leadership will have to decide whether to elevate a senior councillor, choose a consensus face from the mayoral council or bring in a political figure with wider organisational authority. The choice will be watched closely because the new mayor will inherit a demanding urban agenda and a politically charged civic environment.
