Biswabrata Goswami
KRISHNAGAR, 28 JULY: In a significant political development that underscores the deepening factional crisis within the Trinamul Congress (TMC), Rita Das—the first woman chairperson of the 150-year-old Krishnagar Municipality—was removed from office this afternoon following the successful passage of a no-confidence motion against her by a majority of the councillors.
The motion, tabled by rebel councillors from her own party, marks the latest escalation in a month-long power struggle that has left the civic body in a state of administrative paralysis. A total of 15 councillors, including 13 from the TMC, one Congress member, and an Independent, attended the special board meeting convened today and unanimously voted for her removal. None of the councillors supporting Ms Das, including herself, were present, effectively sealing the motion’s fate.
Confirming the outcome, Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) of Krishnagar, Sharadwita Chowdhury, said, “Fifteen out of 24 councillors passed the no-confidence motion, and accordingly, Ms Das stands removed as the chairperson. The board, however, remains intact.”
As per municipal regulations, Ms Das will now serve as acting chairperson and is required to convene a meeting within seven days to elect a successor. If she fails to do so, the responsibility will fall on Vice-Chairman Naresh Das—provided he is not a candidate himself. Failing that, three councillors may call the meeting to initiate the selection of the next chairperson.
The crisis is the culmination of weeks of internal unrest within the TMC’s Krishnagar unit. The municipality, which currently comprises 24 active councillors following the recent death of one, includes 20 TMC members, two Congress councillors, one BJP member, and one Independent. Despite enjoying a comfortable majority, the ruling party has been hamstrung by infighting and allegations of misgovernance, leading to repeated no-confidence motions—three in the past month alone.
The first formal motion was submitted on 25 June with the signatures of 15 councillors. A second attempt followed on 11 July after the chairperson allegedly failed to convene a meeting as mandated. With the impasse continuing, three TMC councillors—Maloy Dutta, Shishir Karmakar, and Sougata Krishna Deb—issued a formal notice on 23 July calling for today’s special board meeting, which was also published on the municipality’s official website, thereby placing the controversy squarely in the public domain.
Former chairman Ashim Saha, who witnessed the proceedings, confirmed, “The no-confidence motion was passed by 15 councillors and the resolution has been forwarded to the state urban development department.”
Behind the scenes, the TMC high command has taken cognizance of the growing crisis. All Krishnagar TMC councillors have been summoned to Kolkata for a meeting at the party headquarters on 29 July in a bid to restore internal discipline and resolve the impasse.
However, rebel councillors have raised doubts over the authenticity of the summons, claiming the message appeared to have originated from Chairperson Das’s camp rather than the party’s district leadership. “We are not against the party,” said one rebel councillor on condition of anonymity. “Our opposition is solely against Ms Das’s leadership. We will accept whoever the party selects next, but governance cannot be allowed to suffer like this.”
Indeed, the political tug-of-war has had tangible consequences for the residents of Krishnagar. Civic services have been disrupted, and development projects stalled. “There is no drinking water in some wards, roads are crumbling, and projects under the State Urban Development Mission have been left incomplete,” said a resident from Ward 7.
Allegations of biased governance and neglect of certain wards have also surfaced. The rebel faction has accused Ms Das of “step-motherly treatment” towards several areas, resulting in skewed development and rising discontent.
Ms Das, who took charge in March 2022 as the town’s first woman chairperson, remains tight-lipped. “I have been called to Kolkata by the party on 29 July. I will go as instructed,” she said.
But with Assembly elections barely a year away, the stakes are rising. “The continued factionalism in Krishnagar not only threatens to erode the party’s urban support base, it risks alienating voters who are already fed up with civic decay,” said a senior TMC functionary.
