Dilip Saha took charge as the new chairman of the Trinamool Congress-run Cooch Behar municipality following his unanimous election at a board meeting on Wednesday.
Rabindranath Ghosh, who had recently stepped down from the chairman's post, was absent from the meeting.
Last year, Avijit De Bhowmik, the district Trinamool Congress president, had asked Ghosh to resign from the chairman’s post, citing instructions from the state leadership.
Ghosh, however, refused and continued in his post. Eventually, Ghosh stepped down on January 11 following instructions from the state leadership. On January 13, Amina Ahmed, the vice-chairperson, took charge as the acting chairperson.
The municipal board met on Wednesday to elect a new chairman.
Out of 20 councillors in total, 18 are from Trinamool. Most Trinamool councillors were present at the meeting. Within minutes of the meeting, Saha was unanimously elected as chairman.
Saha, a senior councillor, was first elected during the Left Front regime. He has won consecutive terms.
Political analysts believe the ruling party has brought forward an experienced and popular leader to strengthen organisational control in Cooch Behar ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.
In 2021, Trinamool had won only three of the nine Assembly seats in the district, while the BJP had bagged six, including two seats that cover the Cooch Behar town and its surrounding areas.
Saha said his priority as the chairman would be to resolve long-pending tax-related disputes between the municipality and the city’s traders. He also assured swift action on improving drainage, drinking water supply, street lighting, and road infrastructure.
In Cooch Behar, the traders are disgruntled with the civic body, as Ghosh had increased municipal taxes.
Dey Bhowmik, who is also a civic councillor, said Saha had been entrusted with the new responsibility as directed by the party.
“The new board will live up to the expectations of the people, and issues with traders and disagreements over taxes would be resolved within seven days,” he said.
Asked to comment on Saha's election, Ghosh was terse: “My best wishes,” he said.