Sovan Chatterjee back to Trinamool from BJP, gets top Kolkata civic body post

Former Kolkata Mayor Sovan Chatterjee has made a political comeback, rejoining the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and being appointed chairperson of the New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) on Friday, replacing former chief secretary Alapan Bandopadhyay.

A close aide of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during the formative years of the TMC, Chatterjee quit the party in November 2018, stepping down from his roles as minister, mayor, and party office-bearer amid differences with the leadership.

Chatterjee later joined the BJP with his partner Baisakhi Bandopadhyay and contested the 2021 Assembly elections on a BJP ticket. However, his stint with the saffron party was brief, and he publicly admitted that joining the BJP had been a mistake. Speculation about his possible return to the TMC had been circulating for some time.

The NKDA appointment comes two days after Chatterjee met the Chief Minister in Darjeeling and followed a closed-door meeting with TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee. Political observers see the move as a “soft launch” ahead of his formal re-induction into the TMC before next year’s state elections, reported PTI.

“This is clearly a signal from the top leadership that Sovan Chatterjee is being brought back into the mainstream. His experience in governance and urban management will be valuable,” a senior TMC leader said as quoted by PTI.

Chatterjee, who served as Kolkata Mayor from 2010 to 2018, was once among the most influential leaders in the TMC and considered the Chief Minister’s most dependable lieutenant. Following his resignation, Firhad Hakim took over most of his responsibilities.

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