Kabir fields uncle as JUP candidate from Ballygunge
Times of India | 25 December 2025
Kolkata: Sources at Nabanna said the state cabinet, at its meeting on Wednesday, approved a proposal to keep 66 wards in the Howrah Municipal Corporation (HMC) area, instead of reducing the number to 50. To implement the decision, a bill will be introduced in the Assembly to amend the Howrah Municipal Corporation Act, 1980.
Elections to the HMC have been overdue since 2018, with the last polls held in 2013. After 2018, state minister Arup Roy served as administrator, followed by Dr Sujay Chakraborty from 2021 to October 2025. The civic body is currently being run by the commissioner.
According to sources, retaining 66 wards would reduce administrative pressure and improve service delivery. The bill is expected to be tabled in the Assembly soon.
In 2015, the Trinamool govt merged Bally Municipality with the HMC, increasing the number of wards from 50 to 66. Administrative problems followed and in 2021 the state decided to separate Bally, but the then governor Jagdeep Dhankhar did not approve the move. The separation was finally cleared in 2025 by governor C V Ananda Bose.
Following the separation, the number of wards was expected to revert to 50. However, sources said the state govt wants to retain 66 wards, citing a near doubling of the population in the HMC area over the past decade. With Nabanna located within the HMC limits, the govt believes a higher number of wards is necessary to ensure efficient administration in line with population growth.
INSET
JUP candidate sacked as civic volunteer
Malda: Civic volunteer Mustera Biwi, named by Humayun Kabir as the Janata Unnayan Party (JUP) candidate for Baishnabnagar on Monday, was dismissed from her duties at Baishnabnagar Police Station on Wednesday. Mustera said, "No regret. I wasn't willing to continue as a civic volunteer." While her husband, Kurban Ansari, is an NGO worker and former active TMC member, he is no longer politically involved. "Humayun Kabir is my leader," Mustera affirmed. "I will not only fight the election but am confident of winning."
TMC district spokesperson Ashis Kundu said, "Kabir is clearly playing as a BJP agent. People aren't taking him seriously. They won't get more votes than NOTA."