KMC polls 2026: Hakim, Sovan among TMC heavyweights skipping December civic vote
Synopsis
Two former Kolkata mayors and several heavyweight councillors from both Trinamool factions have ruled themselves out of the December KMC polls — leaving the parties scrambling for candidates across a newly expanded 209-ward corporation. A legal tussle over the party symbol is drying up campaign funds, turning what should be a routine civic contest into a political stress test for post-split Trinamool.
Key Takeaways
Former mayors Firhad Hakim and Sovan Chatterjee have opted out of the December 2026 KMC elections .
Former deputy Mayor Atin Ghosh is also reportedly reluctant to contest after his ward was reserved for women under delimitation.
The KMC ward count has risen from 144 to 209 following delimitation, widening the candidate shortfall.
Both the Mamata All India Trinamool Congress and the Democratic Trinamool Congress are struggling to find candidates for all wards.
A legal dispute over the original party name and election symbol has created uncertainty over campaign financing.
Only two former MMICs — Sandip Ranjan Bakshi and Swapan Samaddar — have publicly confirmed their willingness to contest.
Several heavyweight former Trinamool Congress councillors of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), including former mayors Firhad Hakim and Sovan Chatterjee, have decided to sit out the civic body elections scheduled for December 2026, creating a serious candidate crunch for both factions of the split party ahead of the 209-ward contest.
Who Is Staying Out
Former Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim — a four-time legislator and a prominent figure in the rebel Democratic Trinamool Congress led by Leader of the Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee — has publicly declared he will not contest. He has also shut down speculation that his eldest daughter, Priyadarshini Hakim, might be fielded from the ward he previously represented as councillor, a position he held while serving simultaneously as Kolkata Mayor and West Bengal's municipal affairs and urban development minister.
His predecessor as mayor, Sovan Chatterjee, has already stepped back from active politics, making his participation in the December polls highly unlikely. Former KMC deputy Mayor Atin Ghosh faces a different constraint: the ward he had represented for several terms has been reserved for women following delimitation, and he has reportedly told a close confidant that he is reluctant to contest from a different ward.
Several other former heavyweight councillors — Ghanashree Bah, Manisha Basu, and Ratna Sur — have also confirmed they will withdraw from active politics and skip the civic polls entirely.
The Two Factions and the Candidate Hunt
The wave of abstentions has left both the Mamata All India Trinamool Congress, led by former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and the Democratic Trinamool Congress, led by Ritabrata Banerjee, struggling to fill candidate lists across all 209 wards. The ward count itself has jumped sharply — up from 144 — following a fresh delimitation exercise, compounding the challenge.
The two former Members of the Mayor-in-Council (MMICs) who have publicly expressed willingness to contest are Sandip Ranjan Bakshi from south Kolkata and Swapan Samaddar from north Kolkata, underlining just how thin the willing-candidate pool has become.
Money and Legal Uncertainty Driving Reluctance
Electoral expenses are among the key reasons cited by former councillors. The ongoing legal battle between the two Trinamool factions over the original party name and election symbol has injected fresh uncertainty into campaign financing. Without clarity on which faction controls the recognised symbol, candidates face doubt over whether they will receive party funds at all.
'With the legal tussle over the original party name and election symbol still unresolved, it is uncertain whether candidates will receive party funds to meet election and campaign expenses. These days, it is virtually impossible for a candidate to contest an election by bearing the entire cost from his or her own pocket,' a former councillor who has decided against contesting said.
What This Means for the December Polls
The mass reluctance among senior figures signals a structural crisis in both Trinamool factions ahead of the KMC elections. This comes amid a broader pattern of inner-party turbulence in West Bengal, where the split between the Mamata and Ritabrata camps has unsettled local governance networks built over more than a decade. With the symbol dispute unresolved and veteran councillors stepping aside, the December contest could see a significant infusion of first-time or lower-profile candidates — reshaping the political character of one of India's largest municipal bodies.
Point of View
The financial risk of contesting falls entirely on the individual. The Trinamool split has hollowed out the grassroots machinery that once made KMC a near-uncontested stronghold. What the December polls will reveal is not just who wins wards, but whether either faction retains enough organisational depth to govern a city of Kolkata's scale — or whether the split has permanently fragmented the urban political network Mamata Banerjee spent two decades building.
NationPress
2 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are Firhad Hakim and Sovan Chatterjee skipping the KMC elections?
Firhad Hakim has publicly announced he does not intend to contest the December 2026 KMC polls, while Sovan Chatterjee has already distanced himself from active politics. Neither has given a single definitive reason, but uncertainty over party funding — tied to the legal battle over the Trinamool election symbol — and the broader post-split political climate are widely cited factors.
How many wards does the Kolkata Municipal Corporation now have?
Following a fresh delimitation exercise, the KMC now has 209 wards, up from 144 previously. The increase has made it harder for both Trinamool factions to find enough willing candidates.
What is the dispute between the two Trinamool factions?
The Trinamool Congress has split into two factions: the Mamata All India Trinamool Congress led by former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and the Democratic Trinamool Congress led by Leader of the Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee. Both are contesting the KMC elections, but an unresolved legal battle over the original party name and election symbol is creating uncertainty around candidate funding.
Which former Trinamool leaders have confirmed they will contest the KMC polls?
Former Members of the Mayor-in-Council Sandip Ranjan Bakshi from south Kolkata and Swapan Samaddar from north Kolkata are among the few former heavyweights who have publicly confirmed they are willing to contest.
How does the symbol dispute affect KMC candidates?
With the legal tussle over the Trinamool name and election symbol unresolved, candidates are uncertain whether they will receive party funds for campaigning. As one former councillor noted, contesting entirely at personal expense is 'virtually impossible' in the current environment, pushing several experienced names to withdraw.
