A sudden vacancy at the top at Calcutta University (CU) has put the authorities in a fix.

With the CU authorities failing to zero in on a successor to Ashis Banerjee, who expressed his unwillingness to carry on in the top post last week, the matter has raced to the CPM headquarters.

“I had requested the chancellor to release me after three months. The senate will elect a new vice-chancellor,” said Banerjee, rubbishing speculation on his decision to move out before the completion of his extended term.

Now, Alimuddin Street will shortlist a panel of candidates to recruit the next vice-chancellor of the 151-year-old university, a CPM stronghold.

Last December, Banerjee was given a year’s extension by Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi, the chancellor of the university, as there was no consensus on his successor.

“A number of important developments are taking place in the academic affairs. So, the university cannot have a stopgap vice-chancellor. We should have a permanent vice-chancellor,” a senior CPM teacher leader told Metro.

According to sources in the CPM, the two probable candidates are Samir Bandyopadhyay, the CU registrar, and Suranjan Das, CU’s pro vice-chancellor (academic).

Bandyopadhyay, a former registrar of West Bengal University of Technology, is the favourite of a section at Alimuddin Street for his “efficient handling” of the fledgling technology university.

Das, on the other hand, is the majority’s choice in the CPM-controlled Calcutta University Teachers’ Association, which has the final say in the university’s academic and administrative matters.

On Monday, the university issued a notice stating that the senate will meet on April 18 to elect the vice-chancellor. Usually, the party shortlists candidates. The senate, controlled by pro-CPM members, selects the candidate from the list and seeks the chancellor’s approval.

Sources in the CPM hinted that Surabhi Banerjee, the vice-chancellor of Netaji Subhas Open University, could be the dark horse. “To ensure that the teaching community stays united before the crucial panchayat polls, she (Surabhi) can make the cut,” said a CU veteran.