Swapan Saha, the chairman of Mal municipality in Jalpaiguri, resigned from his post on Thursday, almost four months after the Trinamool leadership suspended him from the party over charges of corruption.

Utpal Bhaduri, the vice-chairman, will assume Saha's post, district TMC leaders said on Thursday.

In September last year, when a probe conducted by a team of the state urban development and municipal department found that he was involved in certain anomalies, including handing over government land to private parties in Malbazar, the party suspended Saha.

Still, Saha didn’t resign from the civic chairman’s post, leading to a stalemate in the civic body.

Mahua Gope, the Jalpaiguri district TMC president, held a meeting in Lataguri on Thursday. TMC councillors of Mal municipality and some senior party leaders were present at the meeting.

“Utpal Bhaduri, the vice-chairman, will be the new chairman while Narayan Das, a senior councillor, will be our party’s leader in the civic body. If Swapan Saha doesn’t step down, our councillors will table a no-confidence motion to remove him,” said Gope.

Altogether, there are 15 councillors in the civic body. Among them, 14 (including Saha) are from TMC while there is a lone BJP councillor.

Soon after the meeting, Saha announced that he had resigned from the post. “I had assumed the chairman’s office according to the directions of the party. Now, I have resigned and have sent my letter to the district magistrate and the chief minister,” he said.

Bhaduri, when asked about his new responsibility, was brief in his reaction. “My primary goal is to provide smooth and effective civic services to the residents and to run the civic body transparently,” he said.

TMC insiders said as the vice-chairman’s post will be vacant, the councillors were asked to discuss and select the councillor who would be put in the post.

“The decision would be made soon and the new vice-chairman will assume office,” said a party functionary.