Kolkata, 10 December (H.S.) :

In a dramatic political turn, Bongaon Municipality Chairman Gopal Seth resigned from his post just hours before the scheduled trust vote on Wednesday. The voting was set for 12 noon, but Seth sent his resignation via email to the Executive Officer of the municipality earlier in the day.

In his resignation letter, Seth cited instructions from Trinamool Congress state president Subrata Bakshi, mentioning that he was stepping down in compliance with party directives. The party had earlier asked him to vacate the post by November 15, but after he failed to do so, three councillors had moved a no-confidence motion against him.

Seth explained that he had delayed his resignation due to a pending court case filed by former vice-chairperson Jyotsna Adda in the Calcutta High Court. He also claimed to have written to the party leadership seeking clarification on the reason for his removal.

Meanwhile, public dissatisfaction with municipal functioning had been growing, with opposition BJP leaders accusing the Trinamool-led board of administrative stagnation and poor governance.

Political observers believe that had the trust vote taken place as scheduled, it would have been difficult for Seth to retain his chairmanship.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh