Tapas Chatterjee (The Telegraph file picture)

Preparations started within the Trinamul Congress on Monday to bring a no-confidence motion in the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation against mayor Sabyasachi Dutta amidst trading of barbs between the rival camps.

Sources said municipal affairs minister and Calcutta mayor Firhad Hakim had called Dutta on Monday afternoon and asked him to resign. Hakim, they said, also called the corporation’s chairperson, Krishna Chakraborty, to visit the headquarters of the civic body and collect Dutta’s resignation letter.

Dutta, however, did not quit till late on Monday.

“It seems everything will be decided tomorrow as the councillors are asked to turn up at Poura Bhavan (which houses the civic headquarters) on Tuesday,” a councillor said. The meeting is likely to set the stage for a change at the helm.

While Chakraborty — who has expressed her keenness to succeed Dutta — is a front runner for the mayor’s post, deputy mayor Tapas Chatterjee has been asked to clear the decks for a change of guard.

Chatterjee was once a CPM leader and chairman of the erstwhile Rajarhat Municipality.

“Firhad Hakim called me and told me to arrange a no-confidence motion. He called me in the evening and asked me to inform all councillors about the no-confidence motion. It takes between seven and 15 days to move the motion,” said Chatterjee.

The deputy mayor held a series of meeting with councillors at the civic headquarters on Monday to gauge the mood in regard to the motion.

Of the 41 councillors in the Bidhannagar civic body, Trinamul has 38.

Dutta, in keeping with his the defiant tone on display over the past few days, reacted to the news of the no-confidence motion with a cryptic statement: “Aagey aagey dekhiye hota hay kya (Wait and see what happens).”

He reiterated that the party had not yet informed him that he would be removed as mayor.

Dutta, however, made his dislike for Chatterjee apparent. “After unleashing the CPM’s reign of terror in Rajarhat, he (Chatterjee) joined Trinamul. He switched camps after it became clear to him that his political career was at stake,” Dutta said.

Many in Trinamul believe Chatterjee was made deputy mayor to keep a check on Dutta, who has a record of defying party diktats.

Dutta, also Rajarhat-New Town MLA, had taken a dig against the Mamata Banerjee government at a programme organised by a Trinamul-backed labour union in the state-run power sector in Salt Lake on Friday. He had also dared the Trinamul leadership to take action against him.

Hakim had told 35-odd Trinamul councillors at a meeting on Sunday afternoon that Dutta would be removed from the mayor’s post. Hours later, Dutta went into a huddle with Trinamul-turned-BJP leader Mukul Roy.

Trinamul sources said the meeting was probably the last straw.

Hakim called Dutta a Mir Jafar, suggesting the Bidhannagar mayor had betrayed his party. “It would be good if he leaves the party.... Such indiscipline cannot be tolerated,” said Hakim.

As for Dutta’s meeting with Roy, Hakim said: “It is wrong. What he (Dutta) has done is paap (sin).”

Asked about Hakim’s statements, Dutta said: “He is, quite possibly, following someone’s orders.”

Firhad Hakim (The Telegraph file picture)