The political landscape in West Bengal is currently centered on the upcoming civic polls for the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and Howrah Municipal Corporation (HMC). Following the BJP's rise to power, the KMC board was dissolved after former Mayor Firhad Hakim resigned to join the Ritabrata Banerjee faction of the TMC and several councillors stepped down. Municipal Commissioner Smita Pandey is currently serving as the administrator for KMC. In Howrah, the situation is different, as the HMC has been managed by administrators since 2018, with no elected board members since 2013.
The BJP currently holds a strong advantage in both cities, having won a majority of seats across Kolkata's 11 and Howrah's 10 assembly constituencies. However, the process is complicated by delimitation, which would increase KMC wards from 144 to 209 and HMC wards from 50 to 68. This move has sparked debate over whether the change is for functional efficiency or to increase the BJP's ward-level influence.
Legal challenges have further stalled the process. The Calcutta High Court has placed a stay on KMC polls due to a pending delimitation case. Additionally, Imitiyaz Ahmed, a lawyer and former CPIM member of the HMC Mayor in Council, has questioned the necessity of delimitation in Howrah given the lack of elections since 2018. In response, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has engaged with ward-level coordinators to support the BJP should court clearance be delayed, while the state government seeks intervention from the Supreme Court.
Amidst these political and legal tussles, the primary concern remains whether the installation of a new board and the implementation of delimitation will actually lead to a drastic improvement in basic civic amenities for the citizens of Kolkata and Howrah.
