As the Trinamul Congress effected changes in its party organization across the state, the party also changed the nominated administrators in Balurghat and Gangarampur Municipalities in South Dinajpur district.

The fresh changes mean that the board has been changed in the Balurghat Municipality for the seventh time since the tenure of the elected board there ended three years ago. In Gangarampur municipality, the board is being changed for the second time now.

For Gangarampur, the TMC has relied on Prashant Mitra, the brother of Biplab Mitra, while the administrator of Balurghat municipality Haripada Saha, a popular educationist, has been replaced by lawyer Shekhar Das Gupta.

The elected board in Balurghat completed its tenure in October 2018, and the SDO, Balurghat, took charge as the administrator. Within a few months, a new board was formed and Arpita Ghosh and Shankar Chakrabarty were included in it, but could not continue. In December 2020, a new board of administrators with 11 members headed by Haripada Saha was formed.

Most of the members were selected from a non-political background. Yesterday, an official letter gave the charge to Shekhar Das Gupta as the new administrator. Mr Dasgupta was the TMC candidate in the Balurghat constituency in the last Assembly elections, but he lost to BJP’s Ashok Lahiri.

Mr Saha, a former teacher of the Balurghat High School, was appointed the administrator, along with 11 other apolitical persons. After taking charge in December last year, Mr Saha gained popularity for his simple lifestyle and good behaviour.

“None of the members of his board received an honorarium because Mastermoshai himself did not take any,” a source said. One of the municipality staff said today, “I have been working in this office for the past 20 years, and he was different. He is not a political personality. His attitude and behaviour with the office staff and others were very good. We will miss our Mastermoshai.”

On the other hand, Mr Saha said that he was yet to receive any official letter about the new appointments. “I will tender my resignation as soon as I receive the letter,” he said. He added that neither the municipality office nor the administration had received an official letter about the changes until afternoon today.

Shekhar Das Gupta, the newly-appointed administrator, said he was in Malda on “personal business” and would return to the party office later today