Biswabrata Goswami
KRISHNAGAR, 27 JULY: The deadlock in Krishnagar municipality shows no sign of resolution, as intra-party squabbles within the Trinamul Congress (TMC) continue to paralyse civic administration. What was once hailed as a model municipality in the Nadia district is now caught in a web of political infighting, with repeated no-confidence motions stalling governance and bringing crucial development projects to a standstill.
Sources within the TMC confirmed that party leadership in Kolkata has summoned all TMC councillors of Krishnagar municipality to the party headquarters on 29 July, in an apparent bid to defuse the crisis that has thrown the 150-year-old institution into administrative turmoil. The move is being widely interpreted as a direct intervention by the party to curb rebellion in its ranks.
The municipality, comprising 25 wards, is currently left with 24 councillors following the recent demise of one. Of these, 20 belong to the Trinamul Congress, while the remaining four include two Congress councillors, one from the BJP, and one Independent. Yet, despite holding a comfortable majority, the TMC finds itself in an unusual quagmire—divided within and vulnerable to internal dissent.
It is this internal schism that has led to successive no-confidence letters being submitted against not just the Chairperson, Rita Das, but also the Vice-Chairman and several councillors. As many as three separate no-confidence motions have been initiated in the last month alone—each backed by more than half of the sitting councillors.
On 25 June, a formal no-confidence motion bearing the signatures of 15 councillors—13 from the TMC, one from Congress (Shantashree Saha of Ward 14), and Independent councillor Asit Saha—was submitted to the municipal office. This was followed by another move on 11 July when the same bloc once again submitted a fresh letter demanding Chairperson Rita Das’s removal.
Despite repeated requests, the Chairperson did not convene a meeting to discuss the motion. Consequently, a group of 12 councillors, including 10 from the TMC, appealed to Vice-Chairman Naresh Das to call a special session within seven days.
With no action forthcoming, the dissenters took matters into their own hands. On Tuesday, three TMC councillors—Maloy Dutta, Shishir Karmakar, and Sougata Krishna Deb—issued a formal notice calling for a special board meeting on 28 July to deliberate and vote on the motion to remove the Chairperson.
The notice, which has been uploaded on the municipality’s official website, has brought the entire issue into the public domain and triggered intense speculation across the district. Local residents, already reeling under the weight of halted development work and disrupted civic services, now find themselves caught in a political tug-of-war that shows little regard for their growing grievances.
“There is no drinking water in some wards. Roads are crumbling. Projects under the State Urban Development Mission have been left incomplete,” said a local resident from Ward 7. “What are they fighting for, if not the people?”
The faction supporting the motion has squarely blamed Chairperson Rita Das for what they allege is “step-motherly treatment” towards several wards, resulting in lopsided development. “The removal of the Chairperson is only a matter of time,” said Congress councillor Shantashree Saha. “Her autocratic attitude and political favouritism have brought all progress to a halt.”
Yet, as the 28 July special session approaches, the TMC high command’s call to its councillors to appear at the party headquarters in Kolkata the following day has thrown a new variable into the equation. While officially intended to “resolve internal disputes,” the meeting is widely viewed as an attempt to persuade the dissenters to step back from the brink.
Chairperson Rita Das confirmed the party’s summons, stating, “I have been called to Kolkata by the party on 29 July. I will go as instructed.”
However, party insiders believe that the dissenting councillors may not be easily swayed. “We have waited long enough. The people of Krishnagar deserve better,” said a councillor close to the rebel camp, requesting anonymity. “If the party asks us to compromise, it will be seen as siding with non-performance.”
With the next Assembly elections barely a year away, the TMC finds itself in a precarious position. “The continued factionalism in Krishnagar not only threatens to erode the party’s urban base but also risks alienating voters frustrated with stalled development” said a party insider.
As political temperatures rise, all eyes are now on 28 July. Will the rebels press ahead with the motion despite the looming party directive? Or will the high command succeed in bringing the warring factions back under the same tent?
