Kolkata, Nov 2 — In a major development, several heavyweight former Trinamool Congress councillors in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), including former mayors Firhad Hakim and Sovan Chatterjee, have decided to refrain from contesting the civic body elections scheduled for December.
Several former members of the mayor-in-council and borough chairmen are also reluctant to enter the fray.
Their reluctance has made it difficult for the two Trinamool Congress factions, the Mamata All India Trinamool Congress led by former chief minister Mamata Banerjee and the Democratic Trinamool Congress led by Leader of the Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee, to find candidates for all 209 KMC wards.
Following delimitation, the number of wards in the civic body has risen to 209 from 144.
Hakim, a four-time Trinamool Congress legislator and a prominent figure in the rebel faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee, has publicly announced that he does not intend to contest the forthcoming elections.
He has also dismissed speculation that his eldest daughter, Priyadarshini Hakim, could be fielded from the ward he represented as a councillor. Hakim had held that position while serving as Kolkata Mayor and West Bengal's municipal affairs and urban development minister in the previous Mamata Banerjee-led state government.
His predecessor as Kolkata Mayor, Sovan Chatterjee, has already distanced himself from active politics, making his candidature in the December civic polls unlikely.
A similar situation has arisen for former KMC deputy Mayor Atin Ghosh. The ward from which he had been elected councillor for several years has now been reserved for women. Ghosh has reportedly told a close confidant that he is reluctant to contest from another ward.
The two former Members of the Mayor-in-Council (MMICs) who have publicly expressed willingness to contest are Sandip Ranjan Bakshi from south Kolkata and Swapan Samaddar from north Kolkata.
Several other former heavyweight councillors, including Ghanashree Bah, Manisha Basu and Ratna Sur, have said they will stay away from the civic polls and withdraw from active politics.
Electoral expenses are among the reasons cited by some former councillors for their decision. The uncertainty over the party's name and election symbol, amid the legal battle between the two factions, has also raised questions about campaign financing.
"With the legal tussle over the original party name and election symbol still unresolved, it is uncertain whether candidates will receive party funds to meet election and campaign expenses. These days, it is virtually impossible for a candidate to contest an election by bearing the entire cost from his or her own pocket," a former councillor who has decided against contesting said.