Adhikari says BJP will win Kolkata, Howrah and Siliguri civic polls 'in February'

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has indicated that the Siliguri Municipal Corporation will go to the polls in February 2027, with Kolkata and Howrah voting before it. The Millennium Post reported his remarks during his visit to Siliguri on Tuesday. "After Nandigram, Falta and Rejinagar, we will win Kolkata, Howrah and Siliguri in February," he said, according to the paper.

The State Election Commission has not announced a schedule for any of the three corporations. In June, Adhikari had said the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) election would be held "by the first week of December", The Federal reported at the time. His latest remark does not make clear whether Kolkata and Howrah will still vote this year.

Kolkata's wait

The KMC has had no elected board since June. Mayor Firhad Hakim of the Trinamool Congress resigned on 5 June. When no successor was chosen within the 72 hours the state allowed, the municipal affairs department dissolved the corporation and appointed an administrator, The Federal reported. LawChakra has noted that the law requires an election within six months of dissolution.

The state has since redrawn the city's wards, raising their number from 144 to 209. On 29 October the Calcutta High Court refused to stay the new ward map, saying a stay would leave the city without elected councillors for longer. The petitioner has appealed to a Division Bench, arguing that the plea will become pointless once the election is notified.

Howrah's civic election has been pending for about eight years. In May, Adhikari said it would take place "by December", barring unforeseen problems, ETV Bharat reported.

Siliguri plans

At the Siliguri Municipal Corporation office, Adhikari discussed complaints about civic services with the administrator and the commissioner. He proposed enlarging the corporation's area after consulting the neighbouring areas, rather than imposing the change, according to the Millennium Post. He also said a meeting of the corporation, the North Bengal Development department, the Teesta Barrage authorities and railway officials would be held at Uttarkanya on his next visit.

The paper reported that he spoke of proposed medical colleges in Balurghat and Alipurduar and of the possibility of an IIT or IIM in Siliguri. No details or timelines were given.

Rajbanshi and Kamtapuri demands

Rajbanshi and Kamtapuri community representatives gave the chief minister a 70-point charter of demands. Rajbanshi leader Banshibadan Barman welcomed plans to revive the Rajbanshi Language Academy and Development Board, and a detailed meeting is set for 24 November in Cooch Behar, the Millennium Post reported. Kamtapuri leader Biren Narayan Roy said his community's representatives had been sidelined. Adhikari announced an advisory team of IAS and WBCS officers and linguists to examine the language and constitutional questions.

Politics

At a rally at Mahatma Gandhi More, Adhikari called opposition leaders "defeated people", the paper reported. He has called for a "triple-engine" BJP government in Kolkata and Howrah, meaning BJP control at the Centre, in the state and in the city corporations, ThePrint reported earlier. We could not find a response to Tuesday's remarks from the Trinamool Congress, which ran the Kolkata corporation until June.

What happens next

The Division Bench appeal on Kolkata's ward map is pending. Any election date has to come from the State Election Commission. Adhikari is due in Kumargram on 18 November and in Cooch Behar on 24 November for the Rash Mela.