Mamata Banerjee has called Trinamool Congress councillors of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation to her Kalighat residence as a dispute over civic notices to properties linked to Abhishek Banerjee widened into a confrontation over who controls the city’s municipal administration.
The meeting follows signals from Mayor Firhad Hakim that he may quit if the elected civic leadership is reduced to a bystander in decisions taken by the executive wing. Party leaders said the immediate trigger was a series of notices issued by KMC departments to properties associated with Abhishek Banerjee, his family members and Leaps and Bounds, a company linked to him, without the mayor and councillors being kept informed.
The row has placed Kolkata’s civic body at the centre of a wider Trinamool crisis after the party’s sharp electoral setback in West Bengal. The Bharatiya Janata Party’s victory in the 2026 Assembly election has altered the political balance in the state, leaving Trinamool to defend its remaining urban strongholds while managing internal strains between its organisational leadership, elected municipal representatives and the state administrative apparatus.
KMC officials have examined about 17 properties in connection with alleged building-plan deviations, reassessment issues and possible property-tax dues. The addresses under scrutiny include locations on Harish Mukherjee Road, Kalighat Road, Panditiya Road and Ustad Amir Khan Sarani. Notices have sought sanctioned building plans, property-use details, area statements, tenant information and other records. Some notices were issued under provisions of the KMC Act dealing with unauthorised construction and deviations from sanctioned plans.
Abhishek Banerjee has pushed back strongly, asking civic authorities to specify which part of the buildings they consider illegal before he responds. He has also framed the action as part of a political campaign against him, saying any attempt to target his residence or family would not deter him from confronting the BJP. Trinamool leaders close to him have argued that a name-based property search and public allegations have been used to create confusion over ownership and control.
Hakim has sought to distance himself from the notices, saying such actions are handled by the civic body’s executive wing and not by elected representatives. His position has, however, deepened the political problem for Trinamool: if the mayor did not know about notices involving the party’s national general secretary, councillors argue that the elected board’s authority has been undermined.
The crisis escalated further when a scheduled KMC House meeting was called off without the chairperson’s approval. Mala Roy, who presides over the civic House, objected to the cancellation, and Trinamool councillors later held a meeting outside the usual council chamber after access to the chamber became a point of dispute. The episode led to an adjournment motion criticising administrative decisions that councillors said were obstructing the democratic functioning of the corporation.
Municipal Commissioner Smita Pandey has become central to the controversy, with Trinamool councillors alleging that key decisions are being made through the bureaucracy while the mayor, mayor-in-council members and ward representatives are being bypassed. Party functionaries also believe the Municipal Affairs and Urban Development Department has gained disproportionate influence over KMC’s functioning at a politically sensitive moment.
Opposition leaders have rejected Trinamool’s claims of administrative overreach, saying the notices raise legitimate questions about civic compliance and property records. They argue that the ruling party’s anger reflects discomfort over scrutiny of properties linked to its top leadership. BJP leaders have also used the dispute to portray Trinamool as divided between an older civic leadership represented by Hakim and a newer power centre around Abhishek Banerjee.
The allegations remain politically charged because KMC is still controlled by Trinamool, making the action against properties linked to Abhishek Banerjee unusual. Civic scrutiny of unauthorised construction is routine in Kolkata, where building deviations, additional floors and property reassessments often trigger departmental notices. What makes this case exceptional is the overlap of family links, party hierarchy and municipal authority.
Banerjee’s intervention is aimed at preventing the dispute from becoming a broader rebellion within the civic board. Councillors have complained that they are being blamed by residents for civic decisions they did not take, especially on sensitive issues such as building notices, property taxes, hawker regulation and ward-level services. Several councillors want the party leadership to clarify whether elected representatives will continue to have operational influence in civic governance.
