Coochbehar, 10 January (H.S.): Rabindranath Ghosh, the chairman of Coochbehar Municipality, resigned from his post on Saturday. He submitted his resignation letter to the Sub-Divisional Officer of Cooch Behar, Govind Nandi. Although the reason behind his resignation is not yet clear, there had been speculation about his stepping down for the past few days.

Following Rabindranath Ghosh's resignation, political circles are abuzz with speculation that Dilip Saha, the Trinamool Congress councillor from Ward Number Five, might be the next chairman of Coochbehar Municipality. According to sources, the party might formally announce the name of the new chairman after the proposed meeting of Trinamool Congress National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee in Coochbehar on January 13th.

Notably, after the Trinamool Congress's victory in the 2022 Cooch Behar municipal elections, Rabindranath Ghosh was elected as a councillor from Ward Number Eight and was appointed chairman. Everything remained normal for the first two years, but differences within the party began to emerge around the time of the 2023 panchayat elections. Allegedly, during this period, his relationship with the Trinamool district president and councillor Abhijit De Bhowmik became strained.

Reportedly, the district president had complained to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee regarding the increase in municipal taxes in Coochbehar city, which caused a major uproar in the city. This dispute subsequently intensified. The chairman also faced conflicts with trade organizations. Abhijit De Bhowmik had once again complained to the Chief Minister regarding the municipal tax increase issue.

The tension reached its peak when, last November, the district president allegedly sent a message to Rabindranath Ghosh asking him to step down from the chairman's post. According to sources, Rabindranath had then stated that he would not resign unless the party supremo herself instructed him to do so. Amidst this ongoing conflict, he finally submitted his resignation on Saturday. As of the time of writing the news, there had been no reaction from Rabindranath Ghosh regarding this resignation. However, Trinamool Congress spokesperson Parthapratim Roy said, “Rabindranath Ghosh is a loyal party worker and a trusted lieutenant of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Respecting the party's directive, he has resigned from the post of Chairman of Coochbehar Municipality. He will fulfill any responsibility the party entrusts him with complete dedication.”

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey