Bengal: Ritabrata named LoP, Firhad quits as Kolkata mayor

In a major political development in West Bengal, Ritabrata Banerjee has been appointed as the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly. The appointment follows the Assembly Speaker’s reported recognition of a rebel group of Trinamool Congress legislators as a separate legislative party.  Ritibrata, a former CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP who later joined the Trinamool Congress, secured the backing of nearly sixty MLAs – enough to cross the two-thirds mark required under the anti-defection law. The move has triggered a major split within the Trinamool Congress. 
Mamata Banerjee’s faction had earlier nominated Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as Leader of the Opposition. Speaking to reporters after meeting the Speaker, Ritabrata Bandopadhyay claimed that the dissident legislators now constitute the “real and main opposition” in the House.Political observers are calling this one of the most significant challenges to Mamata Banerjee’s leadership since she came to power, drawing comparisons to the Shiv Sena split in Maharashtra. Legal battles and further defections are expected in the days ahead. 
Wednesday’s development came amid a CID probe into an alleged signature forgery case after Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha informed the Speaker on May 27 that no resolution regarding the selection of the LoP had been adopted at the party’s May 6 meeting, contrary to the claim made in the party’s official communication.
Meanwhile,Senior Trinamool Congress leader Firhad Hakim will resign as the Mayor of Kolkata after party supremo Mamata Banerjee accepted his request to step down, TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh said on Wednesday. The development comes amid growing uncertainty within the Trinamool Congress and a series of resignations by party councillors in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) in recent weeks.Hakim, one of the party's most prominent leaders and a close aide of Banerjee, had earlier sought permission from the TMC chief to resign from the post, citing difficulties in functioning after the BJP came to power in Bengal.Hakim, a heavyweight minority face of the TMC, has served as Kolkata Mayor since 2018 and has held several key ministerial portfolios in the state government over the years. The KMC has been under the control of the TMC since 2010.