What does former Kolkata mayor Sovan Chatterjee’s NKDA appointment mean for West Bengal politics
Former Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) mayor and minister, Sovan Chatterjee, will take charge as the chairman of Newtown Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) in the coming days, after the West Bengal government resumes work post the festive season. Chatterjee quit the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in 2018 to join the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2019, is now back in his original party.
Apart from executing duties as mayor, Chatterjee also held portfolios of fire and engineering, housing and environment in the Mamata Banerjee government. Chatterjee, who was seen as a close aide of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at one time, is back in ‘Didi’s turf.’
“Sovan has been snuggling up to Didi for a while. So she (Mamata) let him live a few years in exile and brought him back. She (Mamata) needs to deliver a message that the TMC doesn’t hold grudges against her old guard, those who left her, those who tried to spoil things for her. She is a ‘Didi’, that is the message,” said political analyst Shikha Mukherjee, who believes that Mamata looks after her own people and there is scope for rehabilitation.
It is the return of the prodigal son, and TMC believes that despite his departure to join the BJP, he always had the respect intact for Mamata. “Sovan Chatterjee is part of TMC. For a short time, he was confused, but the respect for Didi was always there, and that is why he was made the NKDA Chairman,” said TMC leader Kunal Ghosh.
The BJP is unfazed by Chatterjee crossing over to leave saffron waters and turn towards ‘greener’ pastures, with green being the colour of TMC. “His (Sovan) leaving the BJP has not made a big impact as he left after the elections itself. He has left for his personal gain, and his leaving has nothing to do with the BJP," said Dilip Ghosh.
“Sovan Chatterjee is a seasoned politician. He knows the administrative nitty-gritties of civic bodies extremely well. In that sense, it is good for TMC to revive the urban scenario after the deluge of the rainy season," explained political analyst Udayan Bandhopadhyay, pointing at the backlash Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim faced for the grave waterlogging situation in his jurisdiction on multiple occasions during the monsoons this year.
However, on the question of whether comparisons will be made in the administrative functioning of both Hakim and Sovan after the latter takes over as chairman of NKDA, many believe both KMC and NKDA are two different administrative bodies with different characteristics, hence, it won’t pose a competition.
However, Chatterjee, an able administrator, became a KMC councillor in 1985 and served as mayor from 2010 to 2018, before he stepped down and switched loyalties to the BJP in August 2019. However, he was not given a ticket from the Behala Purba Assembly constituency in the 2021 Assembly elections, prompting him to quit the party. The former mayor’s seat was won by his estranged wife, Ratna Chatterjee, from the TMC.
Chatterjee was also in the spotlight for his personal life, which took an ugly turn, overshadowing his public image as a civic administrator. Today, as Sovan makes a comeback as an administrator, the spotlight will be on him yet again, but this time for his work and how he proves his mettle during his second innings with the ruling party. “I will carry out the responsibility to the best of my ability," said Chatterjee the day he was given the appointment letter.
With assembly elections in the state coming up in 2026, will Chatterjee stand a chance to get a bigger piece of the TMC pie as the former mayor takes on the litmus test of loyalty and professionalism? Chatterjee is confident he will execute his responsibilities ably.
India