The Sainthia Municipality in Birbhum district, West Bengal, was dissolved on Monday after 14 All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) councillors — including the chairman and vice-chairman — resigned their posts, citing public rejection of the party in recent Assembly elections. It marks the first dissolution of a municipal board among the six municipalities in Birbhum district.

How the Dissolution Unfolded

The Sainthia Municipality has a total of 16 councillors. On Monday, 14 of them — led by chairman Biplab Dutta and vice-chairman Kazi Kamal Hossain — submitted resignation letters to Suri Subdivision Administrator Supratik Singh. With a clear majority stepping down, the municipality was automatically dissolved under applicable rules.

Only Councillor Manas Singh of Ward No. 3 and Councillor Maya Saha of Ward No. 9 did not resign, remaining the sole holdouts from what had been an entirely TMC-controlled board.

The Reasons Given

The stated reasons for the resignations varied significantly among those who stepped down. Chairman Biplab Dutta offered the most politically charged explanation, saying: 'We had won with the symbol of Trinamool. But this time in the Assembly elections, people have rejected the Trinamool. Today, I cannot find out which is the real Trinamool Congress. So I resigned. It is a completely personal decision.'

Vice-chairman Kazi Kamal Hossain, however, attributed his exit to personal health reasons, stating: 'My wife has been bedridden for 15 years. I am also sick, so I resigned.' The remaining councillors similarly cited physical illness as their reason for quitting, according to reports.

Background: A Municipality With No Opposition

The scale of the collapse is notable given the electoral dominance TMC had established in Sainthia. In the last municipal elections held on 27 February 2022, TMC candidates won 13 out of 16 seats unopposed. The party also swept the remaining three contested seats, leaving the Sainthia Municipality with no Opposition representation whatsoever.

This is the first time a municipal board in Birbhum has been dissolved. The other five municipalities in the district — Bolpur, Suri, Rampurhat, Dubrajpur, and Nalhati — remain under TMC control.

BJP Claims Political Momentum

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from the Sainthia Assembly constituency, Krishna Kant Saha, attributed the resignations to growing public confidence in the new state administration. He said: 'Everyone is impressed with the way the new state government is carrying out public welfare work under the leadership of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. That is why everyone is resigning from Trinamool. That party will no longer exist.'

Critics, however, noted that the varying reasons given by the resigning councillors — ranging from political disillusionment to personal illness — make it difficult to read the episode as a single, coordinated political signal. Whether the dissolutions spread to the remaining five Birbhum municipalities will be closely watched in the coming weeks.