In shock move 2 TMC KMC councillors resign from crucial post
The Statesman | 29 May 2026
In a wave of political storm taking the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, two crucial faces of Trinamul Congress, Arup Chakraborty and Susant Ghosh resigned from the post of accounts committee member and borough chairman respectively.
The duo expressed deep anguish and disappointment towards ex-senior party leaders who enjoyed high ranks in the previous regime.
In addition to being elected councillors, both Arup Chakborty and Susant Ghosh held imp posts in the KMC and in the party. Apart from serving as the incumbent councillor of Ward 98, Arup Chakborty was a member of the KMC accounts committee, and TMC’s spokesperson. Likewise, Susant Ghosh, councillor of Ward 108 was also the chairman of borough XII and the general secretary. In today’s major setback to the TMC, Arup Chakraborty resigned from the post of accounts committee member while Susant Ghosh put down his papers as chairman of borough XII.
The duo declared that they were ready to give up further posts. Both of them however, announced to continue their role as corporators.
Speaking to the reporters at the civic body headquarters today, the two councillors cited a lack of support for grassroots workers and questioned the absence of senior party leaders. “When the party calls for protest and when ground level party workers are homeless, where are the other senior leaders?” asked Arup Chakraborty. “Those of us who are workers of our party at a local level have tried to save the others at our end but where are those who used to enjoy the facilities of long convoys? We have to accept that people’s mandate has gone against us. We might like or dislike it. We have to accept the people’s mandate. Today’s resignation is not just stepping down from a post, it is a symbolic gesture to mental condition. We have to take responsibility somewhere and admit that people’s vote has gone against us. Nobody would remain in power forever. But when party workers are in distress, or even when Rabindra Jayanti is being celebrated at Mamata Banerjee’s residence, where are the celebrity leaders?” he added.
Echoing the scathing attack on the TMC leaders, Susant Ghosh thanked the BJP leadership for enabling the TMC homeless party workers to return to their shelter. “Our duty would be over only when we would be able to help the last party workers return home. I am still a party worker. If the party calls us for any demonstration, we would still be a part of it. But we have to accept the people’s mandate.”
The TMC councillor also rued that he had to fight his own party for the last 15 years. “In 2020, there was an attack on me. In 2024 there was another attack. Despite being a worker of the party, it was shocking that under our government, the investigation on those attacks was not carried out properly. The then police officers had revealed that the main accused had fled to Dubai and the matter could be clearer only if the latter was caught by the cops. However, in a strange way, of the seven arrested in the case, only the main accused got the bail. I want to bring it to the fore that for the remaining behind the bars, I had to fight the case with my own lawyers. I was even told that someone close to me could be behind the conspiracy. Being in the party I could not say anything then. I request the new Chief Minister to reinvestigate the case. It is very important to me to know who was behind the attack.”
The resignation comes a day after former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee held a meeting with the KMC councillor urging them to start working in full fledged in their respective wards and even take to the streets against the ruling party. Several councillors were found absent in the meeting. After BJP’s sweeping victory in the recent Assembly elections, more than 100 councillors of the Trinamul Congress have resigned in different parts of West Bengal.
About a week ago, chairman of borough IX, Debolina Biswas also resigned from her post after notices were served to Abhishek Banerjee’s properties. The councillor of Ward 74 under KMC had claimed that Trinamul Congress leaders and the party’s top brass pressured her after civic officials served notices to Abhishek Banerjee over alleged illegal construction at his residence.