Sovan Chatterjee

Sovan Chatterjee (born 7 July 1964) is an Indian politician belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is the former Mayor of the city of Kolkata, the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Chatterjee had been a Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) councillor since 1985.

Sovan Chatterjee
শোভন চট্টোপাধ্যায়
38th Mayor of Kolkata
In office
16 June 2010 – 22 November 2018
DeputyFarzana Alam
Preceded byBikash Ranjan Bhattacharya[1]
Succeeded byFirhad Hakim
Member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly
Assumed office
2011
Preceded byKumkum Chakraborti
ConstituencyBehala Purba
Councillor, Kolkata Municipal Corporation
Assumed office
2010
Preceded bySova Ghosh
ConstituencyWard No. 131
Personal details
Born (1964-07-07) 7 July 1964[2]
Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Political partyBharatiya Janata Party (2021-present)
Other political
affiliations		All India Trinamool Congress (1998-2020) Indian National Congress (1985-1998)

Political career

Chatterjee had been a councillor in the KMC since 1985. From 2000 to 2005, he was also a mayor in council of the corporation.[3] Chatterjee won the Behala Purba seat in the 2011 West Bengal Assembly election,[4] which he retained in 2016.[5]

Mayor of Kolkata

In 2010, he was appointed as the mayor of Kolkata by his party All India Trinamool Congress, with Farzana Alam being appointed as his deputy.[3] He resigned from the mayor post on 22 November 2018.

Cabinet Minister

Chatterjee was made a cabinet minister in 2016. Former mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya said that there was no provision in law that prevents a mayor from holding ministerial berth.[6] With the decline in supply of cattle, India's first fully automated slaughterhouse (in Tangra area) was shut in May 2017. Chatterjee reacted by saying that he would examine the matter.[7]

In December 2016, Chatterjee became the first mayor of any city of India to get Z-plus security cover (the highest level of security cover in India). In that category, he would get security cover by National Security Guard commandos.[8]

In November 2014, Chatterjee was announced as the mayoral candidate of his party for the civic polls which were to be held in 2015.[9] He was reappointed as the mayor of the city in May, as his party won the polls.[10] On 22 November 2018 he resigned from the mayor post of Kolkata Municipal Corporation. He later joined BJP on 14 August 2019.[11]

Views

Bhangar Power Grid

Chatterjee supports the restoration work of building the Bhangar Power Grid, which was stopped due to protests of villagers over acquisition of land. He said that outsiders with vested interests were hindering development.[12]

Water crisis

In May 2017, there were reports of water crisis in South Kolkata. Areas affected included Garden Reach, Wattgunj, Khidderpore. Left Front councillors boycotted a monthly meeting of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation to protest against the body's inability to solve the issue. About the complaints, Chatterjee said that the opposition were making a "mountain out of a mole hill".[13]

References
  1. "Mayors of Kolkata". KMC Gov. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  2. "Sovan Chatterjee Wiki, Age, Bio, Height, Wife, net Worth, Assets". India 2017. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  3. "Sovan Chatterjee to be new Kolkata mayor". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  4. "2011 West Bengal Assembly election result". One India.
  5. "Behala Purba Assembly Election result". Info Elections. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  6. "Mayor Sovan Chatterjee in Mamata's cabinet: Is it legal?". Times of India. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  7. "Supply falls, Kolkata shuts India's first fully automated abattoir". Times of India. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  8. "Z+ cover for mayor, Abhishek Banerjee". Times of India. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  9. "Sovan Chatterjee to be TMC's mayoral candidate for KMC elections". Times of India. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  10. "Sovan Chatterjee back as Kolkata mayor". The Statesman. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  11. "Sovan Chatterjee joins BJP".
  12. "Sovan bats for restoration of work at Bhangar power grid". Millennium Post. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  13. "Severe water crisis in south Kolkata area". Times of India. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
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