A pedal has pushed Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Falakata civic chairperson Pradeep Muhuri on the same side of appreciation.

The duo prefer to cycle to work.

Muhuri’s cyclework, however, is catching attention in Bengal where an unannounced political culture of moving around in a flurry of SUVs to signal one’s arrival in the political landscape has become the established norm.

‘I am not doing anything special.… Am a common man and go about my life like a commoner,’’ said Muhuri.

Many politicians have occasionally taken a bicycle ride to office for photo opportunities, but not many have been consistent. However, of late, it has become a common sight to see Muhuri hurriedly cycling along NH31 to reach the temporary office of Falakata municipality around 11 am every day.

Falakata was declared the second municipality of Alipurduar district a few months ago and its first elections were held on February 27. Trinamul won all 18 seats and Muhuri became the first chairman.

Muhuri, who is a retired high school teacher said: “Falakata is a new municipality and we do not know much about fund allocation. My first priority must be to serve the local people rather than waste money travelling in a car.”

Sources in Trinamul said the new chairman may be trying to follow Mamata Banerjee’s simple life diktat for people’s representatives. During her north Bengal trip in November, Mamata had said councillors should ideally move around on two wheelers or at best in small cars. The sermon bore clear signs of her disliking with what is being referred to as the SUV culture in the party.

‘‘Fuel prices have been soaring and so he is also making a political statement,’’ said a Trinamul insider.

The new chairman uses his cycle not just to travel from his residence to office but also while making the rounds of the wards.

North Bengal is currently experiencing a sudden burst of rainfall. Muhuri was seen cycling to all wards to oversee drainage issues, holding an umbrella in one hand, in the last few days.

“We have many issues to fix in Falakata. The expectations of the people are very high, we have drainage issues, issues of identifying dumping ground and so on. We have to manage everything with limited resources,” said Muhuri.

Many believe Muhuri’s down to earth approach was also one of the many reasons behind Trinamul’s stellar show in the civic elections.

During the last Assembly elections, BJP had managed to win all the five seats in the district.

During the recent civic election, BJP drew a blank.

Deepak Barman, BJP MLA from Falakata, however, did not lose an opportunity for a jibe. “Since the state government has not allocated much funds to Falakata municipality, the chairman has chosen the right path.”

Other politicians like Bapon Gope, DYFI leader, however, wondered how long the chairman would ride around on a cycle. “The initiative is appreciable but the question is how long will this continue,” said Gope.

A Falakata resident, while appreciating the chairman’s decision to cycle , however, also said: “The real test for the new chairman would also be to ensure a corruption-free and effective body that would change the town in a true sense.”