Firhad Hakim facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Firhad Hakim
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Hakim in November 2020
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| 38th Mayor of Kolkata | |
| Assumed office 28 December 2021 |
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| Deputy | Atin Ghosh |
| Preceded by | Himself (as Chairman of Board of Administrators) |
| Succeeded by | Mamata Banerjee |
| Constituency | Ward No. 82 |
| In office 3 December 2018 – 7 May 2020 |
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| Deputy | Atin Ghosh |
| Preceded by | Sovan Chatterjee |
| Succeeded by | Himself (as Chairman of Board of Administrators) |
| Constituency | Ward No. 82 |
| Cabinet Minister Government of West Bengal |
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| Assumed office 10 May 2021 |
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| Governor |
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| Chief Minister | Mamata Banerjee |
| Ministry and Departments |
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| Preceded by | Suvendu Adhikari (Transport) Chandrima Bhattacharya (Housing) |
| In office 20 May 2011 – 5 May 2021 |
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| Governor | Jagdeep Dhankhar Keshari Nath Tripathi |
| Chief Minister | Mamata Banerjee |
| Preceded by | Ashok Bhattacharya |
| Succeeded by | Chandrima Bhattacharya |
| Member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly | |
| Assumed office 13 May 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Constituency created |
| Constituency | Kolkata Port |
| In office 10 November 2009 – 13 May 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Tapas Paul |
| Succeeded by | Constituency Abolished |
| Constituency | Alipore |
| Chairman of Board of Administrators, Kolkata Municipal Corporation | |
| In office 7 May 2020 – 24 December 2021 |
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| Preceded by | Himself (as Mayor of Kolkata) |
| Succeeded by | Himself (as Mayor of Kolkata) |
| Chairman of KMDA | |
| Assumed office July 2021 |
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| Preceded by | Debasish Sen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 January 1959 (age 66) Calcutta, West Bengal, India |
| Political party | Trinamool Congress (1998–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
Indian National Congress (until 1998) |
| Spouse | Ismat Hakim |
| Children | 3 |
| Residences | Chetla, Kolkata - 700027 |
| Alma mater | Heramba Chandra College (BCom) |
| Other names | Bobby da |
Firhad Hakim (born 1 January 1959) is an important Indian politician. Since 2018, he has been the 38th Mayor of Kolkata. He also serves as a Cabinet Minister for Urban Development and Municipal Affairs and Housing in the Government of West Bengal. He is a member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly (MLA) from the Kolkata Port area. He belongs to the Trinamool Congress Party.
Firhad Hakim was first elected to the West Bengal Legislative Assembly in 2009. Just two years later, he became a cabinet minister. This happened in the government led by Mamata Banerjee. In December 2018, he was chosen to be the mayor after the previous mayor, Sovan Chatterjee, resigned.
Contents
About Firhad Hakim
Early Life and Family
Firhad Hakim's family has roots in the Gaya district of Bihar. His grandfather moved to Kolkata and started a business there. Firhad's father, Abdul Hakim, worked as a law officer for the Kolkata Port Trust.
Firhad Hakim is married to Ismat Hakim. They have three daughters named Priyadarshini, Shabba, and Afsha. The family lives in Chetla, a neighborhood in South Kolkata. Firhad Hakim is often called "Bobby" by his friends and supporters. This nickname comes from the Australian cricketer Bobby Simpson.
Education and Community Work
Firhad Hakim studied at Heramba Chandra College. He earned a degree in commerce from there. He is also very involved in his community. He is the main organizer for the Chetla Agrani Durga Puja committee. This committee helps organize the big Durga Puja festival in his area.
Political Career
Becoming a Minister
In the late 1990s, Firhad Hakim was first elected as a councilor. This meant he helped manage local affairs for the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. On 11 November 2009, he was elected to the West Bengal Legislative Assembly. He won from the Alipore constituency in a special election.
In the 2011 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election, Hakim won again. This time, he won from the Kolkata Port constituency. He was a candidate for the All India Trinamool Congress party. After this win, he became the Minister of Urban Development and Municipal Affairs. He served in the first government led by Mamata Banerjee.
As a minister, he worked on various projects. In June 2014, he announced that 22 new municipalities would be created in West Bengal. This was to help manage local areas better.
Re-election and New Roles
In the 2016 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election, Firhad Hakim won his seat again. He continued to serve the people of Kolkata Port. On 16 June 2017, he was given another important role. He was appointed chairman of the Tarakeswar Development Board.
Serving as Mayor of Kolkata
Election as Mayor
On 20 November 2018, the then-mayor of Kolkata, Sovan Chatterjee, resigned from his cabinet position. A few days later, he also resigned as mayor. The Trinamool Congress party then announced that Firhad Hakim would be their choice for the next mayor.
The state government made a special change to the law. This change allowed someone who was not yet a member of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation to become mayor. However, that person had to be elected to the Corporation within six months.
Firhad Hakim officially put forward his name for mayor on 28 November 2018. The next day, the Bharatiya Janata Party announced their candidate. On election day, Firhad Hakim received 121 votes and was elected mayor. He became the first Muslim mayor of Kolkata since India gained independence.
Priorities as Mayor
After being elected, Firhad Hakim spoke about his main goals. He said he wanted to focus on reducing pollution and improving the environment in Kolkata. He also set up a WhatsApp number. This allowed people to send complaints directly to him, and he promised to act on them.
His other important goals as mayor included:
- Making Kolkata a cleaner and greener city.
- Ensuring that everyone in the city had a continuous supply of drinking water.
- Building more toilets in slum areas.
- Working to turn slums into "model residential areas" with better living conditions.
Recent Developments
In January 2019, it was announced that Firhad Hakim would run for election in ward no. 82 of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. He won this election easily.
The term for the Kolkata Municipal Corporation ended on 7 May 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, new elections could not be held right away. So, on 8 May 2020, Firhad Hakim was appointed as the chairman of the board of administrators for the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. He held this position until 22 March 2021. He resigned because the Election Commission of India (ECI) said that political appointees could not serve as board administrators before the 2021 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election. An officer named Khalil Ahmed took over from him.
