Speculations have started swirling over the selection of members of the Mayor-in-Council (MMIC) of the newly-elected civic board at the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) to be led by the Trinamul Congress.

Trinamul Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee had already announced the name of former minister Gautam Deb as the Siliguri mayor. Well-placed sources said party veteran Pratul Chakraborty could be made the chairman. The elections for the two posts are scheduled to be held on 22 February, according to an order issued by the state municipal affairs department. Mr Chakraborty was earlier elected as the councillor on a Congress ticket, when the civic body was upgraded to a municipal corporation in 1994.

Former Darjeeling district TMC president Ranjan Sarkar, other senior leaders like Ranjan Sil Sharma, Sanjay Pathak and Dulal Dutta may also find important posts in the SMC, sources said. Rambhajan Mahato and Kamal Agarwal, who switched over to the ruling party from the Left camp last year, may also get berths. Mr Mahato was the deputy mayor in the previous Left-led board, while Mr Agarwal had handled the trade license, parks & gardens, law & guest houses, and parking during that board.

Mr Sil Sharma had been the deputy mayor in the short-lived Congress-Trinamul Congress board, and Mr Pathak was the MMIC for the urban poverty alleviation cell from the Congress camp. “We are expecting that the departments will be distributed among them, including the post of the deputy mayor. But along with those experienced leaders, new faces, including from the minority communities, and women, are likely to be inducted.

The number of MMICs may go up in this board,” said a senior party leader. The Trinamul Congress won 37 of the 47 wards in the recent SMC elections, a feat that had not been achieved by any political party in the SMC polls since 1994. According to officials, there was no specific number of posts for the MMICs. “Earlier, there were seven MMIC posts, two posts for the deputy mayor and chairperson. But the state government had repealed this in 2017,” they said. On the other hand, preparations are going on in full swing at the SMC for the 22- February event.

“All the newly-elected councillors will take oath, and after that the first meeting of the election of the mayor and chairman will be held. The Darjeeling district magistrate will administer the oath or affirmation of their allegiance to the Constitution of India; and after the election of the mayor and the chairperson, the district magistrate will administer the oath of secrecy to the newly-elected mayor and the chairman of the said corporation. After that, on the same day, the civic body will felicitate the mayor, chairman and councillors at Rabindra Mancha at Bagha Jatin Park. State ministers will be invited to the event, along with senior government officials.

More than 2000 invitation cards have been printed. All the political parties, different associations, and organisations will also be invited for the programme,” an officer said. SMC commissioner Sonam Wangdi Bhutia said necessary preparations were being made for the same.