Former Kolkata Mayor Sovan Chatterjee has re-entered the political arena by rejoining the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and assuming the role of chairperson of the New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) on Friday. He has taken over the position from former chief secretary Alapan Bandopadhyay.
Chatterjee, who was a close aide to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during the early days of the TMC, left the party in November 2018 due to disagreements with the leadership, resigning from his ministerial, mayoral, and party positions. He briefly joined the BJP with his partner Baisakhi Bandopadhyay but later acknowledged that it was a mistake. Speculation about his return to the TMC had been circulating for some time.
The decision to appoint Chatterjee to the NKDA position came after his recent meeting with the Chief Minister in Darjeeling, followed by a private discussion with TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee. According to PTI reports, political analysts view this move as a preliminary step before his official reinstatement into the TMC ahead of the upcoming state elections.
A senior TMC official, quoted by PTI, emphasized that Chatterjee’s reintroduction signifies the party’s endorsement of his return to mainstream politics, citing his expertise in governance and urban administration as valuable assets.
Having served as Kolkata Mayor from 2010 to 2018, Chatterjee was once a prominent figure within the TMC and a trusted ally of the Chief Minister. Following his departure, Firhad Hakim assumed many of his former responsibilities.