Surajit Saha, the Trinamool councillor of ward 8 of Balurghat town in South Dinajpur, was unanimously elected as the new chairman of Balurghat municipality on Saturday.
Munmun Kar, the councillor of ward 21, was nominated by Saha as the new vice-chairperson of the civic body after he assumed charge. The post had been vacant for more than three years since 2022.
“The oath of office was administered today (Saturday) to Surajit Saha, the newly elected chairman,” said Subrata Kumar Barman, the SDO of Balurghat.
On December 19, 16 Trinamool councillors had moved a no-confidence motion against the then chairman Ashok Kumar Mitra.
Following this, Mitra resigned from the post on January 10.
Exactly seven days after he handed in his resignation, the councillors convened a meeting on Saturday to elect the new chairman and vice-chairperson.
Subhash Bhowal, the Trinamool president of South Dinajpur, and party leader Subhash Chaki held talks with the councillors before the election.
Although Mitra and some councillors of his faction attended the meeting, they did not participate in the oath-taking ceremony.
After the names were announced, party workers and supporters gathered in front of the municipal office to celebrate with fireworks and a band procession.
After assuming office, Saha, popularly known as Babu, said he would be focusing on the several developmental projects in the Balurghat municipal area which were still pending.
“I thank chief minister Mamata Banerjee and our national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee for entrusting me with the responsibility. Our priority will be to complete all the pending works and ensure overall development of Balurghat town,”
he said.