Senior Trinamool Congress leader Firhad Hakim is set to resign as the mayor of Kolkata after party chief Mamata Banerjee accepted his request to step down, party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said on Wednesday.AITC chairperson Mamata Banerjee along with AITC GS Abhishek Banerjee and former minister Firhad Hakim (extreme left). (Hindustan Times)“Firhad Hakim has repeatedly expressed his desire before party supremo Mamata Banerjee to resign from the mayor’s post. Mamata tried to dissuade him. He, however, said that the civic body has been made defunct. After considering all sides the TMC chief gave her nod to Hakim to resign from the post,” Ghosh told media persons.HT tried to reach out to him, but couldn’t get a response till the time of print.Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) chairperson Mala Roy told news agency PTI: “I am yet to receive Firhad Hakim’s resignation. As per norms, if the mayor wants to resign, he needs to submit it to me.”Also Read: TMC's rebel leader now LoP, ED summons Abhishek, mayor ‘quits’: Mamata faces many setbacksHakim, an MLA from Kolkata’s port area and a close aide of Banerjee, has served as Kolkata’s mayor since 2018 and has held several key ministerial portfolios in the state government over the years. The KMC has been under TMC’s control since 2010.This comes at a time when TMC is facing its most serious internal revolt since losing power in West Bengal, with a large section of its legislators openly backing expelled MLA Ritabrata Banerjee and challenging the party’s existing leadership structure.In May, at least two KMC borough chairpersons resigned from their posts. On Tuesday, a member of the mayor-in-council sent in his resignation as well.Separately, several TMC leaders, including ward councillors, across multiple civic bodies have been arrested since May 9 on charges of corruption, extortion, and threatening people, as well as for their role in the 2021 post-poll clashes. Bengal has 128 civic bodies, all currently led by TMC.“Several TMC councillors in civic bodies across Bengal have resigned over the past few days. In many civic bodies, the TMC councillors are not coming to office and have stopped working. It only reflects their irresponsibility,” state municipal affairs minister, Agnimitra Paul, had said earlier.