7 months ago
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After 7 years of being ousted from the Trinamool Congress (TMC), erstwhile Kolkata Municipal Corporation Mayor Sovan Chatterjee is backmost successful a apical civic assemblage station successful Kolkata. This comes days aft helium met with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, which led to rumours astir his ceremonial comeback into the State’s ruling enactment close earlier the 2026 State Assembly elections.
“In workout of powerfulness conferred by sub-Section (3) of Section 3 of the New Town Kolkata Development Authority Act, 2007, the Governor is pleased to name Shri Sovan Chatterjee arsenic Chairman, Newtown Kolkata Development Authority [NKDA], until further order,” a ceremonial bid from the Government of West Bengal said connected Friday (October 17, 2025).
Notably, erstwhile Chief Secretary Alapan Bandhopadhyay used to clasp the NKDA president presumption earlier Mr. Chatterjee was appointed successful his place. Mr. Chatterjee met with Ms. Banerjee successful North Bengal 3 days backmost connected Wednesday (October 15). He had besides met Abhishek Banerjee, the 2nd successful bid successful TMC, a fewer weeks earlier gathering Ms. Banerjee.
This authoritative station backmost successful his 2nd stint with the TMC arsenic the president of NKDA has been observed by galore arsenic a brushed motorboat backmost into the ruling enactment successful the State.
“This is simply a immense work that Didi has entrusted maine with. I volition effort my champion to unrecorded up to these responsibilities,” Mr. Chatterjee said. He further added that helium is looking guardant to this caller relation and responsibilities.
Mr. Chatterjee’s return to prominence has sparked governmental chatter. “Where Sovan wants to enactment is his decision,” BJP MP Sukanta Majumdar said.
However, different elder BJP person and erstwhile Tripura Governor Tathagata Roy took a sharper excavation astatine the development, cautioning his enactment against repeating past mistakes. “Kolkata’s ex-mayor Sovan Chatterjee joins the ranks of the Trojan horses who near TMC, joined BJP earlier 2021 elections, were rewarded with electoral tickets and oodles of wealth by courtesy of the Kailash Vijayvargiya gang, and returned to TMC,” Mr. Roy said successful a societal media station connected X.
A agelong roadworthy backmost to TMC
Mr. Chatterjee, who is simply a erstwhile heavyweight of the TMC and a adjacent adjutant of enactment laminitis chairperson Mamata Banerjee, left the enactment aft the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. He held the presumption of the KMC Mayor from 2010 to 2018 and besides aggregate important Ministries successful the Mamata Banerjee Government’s Cabinet.
The erstwhile TMC Minister had besides joined the Bharatiya Janata Party for a little play earlier the 2021 State Assembly elections. However, helium near soon aft and said that “it was a Himalayan blunder” to articulation the BJP.
He resigned from his mayorship successful November 2018 and joined the BJP successful August 2019. However, helium near the Opposition enactment successful 2021 aft helium was denied the summons to contention the elections from Behala Purba, an country of residence and governmental stronghold.
Once a adjacent confidant of Ms. Banerjee and 1 of the most influential figures successful Kolkata’s civic politics, Mr. Chatterjee’s autumn from grace had go a taxable of overmuch speculation successful governmental circles, peculiarly aft his backstage beingness became a taxable of nationalist attention.
