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A West London councillor is facing calls to fight a by-election after quitting his party to sit as an independent.
Councillor Kaushik Banerjee represents Ickenham and South Harefield at Hillingdon Council, winning over 2,400 votes on May 7. He has resigned from the Conservative Party just days after voters elected him as their councillor with the results announced on May 8.
The Hillingdon Conservatives, bemused by his decision, are calling on him to resign and fight a by-election.
Cllr Banerjee has not shared a public statement, nor has he given any account for his decision to quit the Tories and sit as an independent. The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) contacted Cllr Banerjee.
He was asked why he resigned, whether he intends to hold a by-election, and whether he thinks it is fair to those who voted for him just 11 days ago. However, he had not responded by the time of publication
A spokesperson for the Hillingdon Conservatives said: "Hillingdon Conservatives were proudly returned with an increased majority on a clear commitment to put residents first and continue delivering for our borough. Councillor Banerjee was elected as part of that successful Conservative team in Ickenham & South Harefield.
"It is bizarre that only days later he has chosen to abandon the team and the mandate he was elected on to sit as an independent. Residents of Ickenham and South Harefield voted for a Conservative councillor, not an independent, and this appears to have been a calculated and selfish attempt to ride on the success of the Hillingdon Conservative team.
"Councillor Banerjee should now do the honourable thing, resign his seat immediately and seek a fresh mandate from residents as an independent candidate. If he truly believes local people support this decision, he should put that to test with the electorate."
It must be noted that in the previous term, the now former Cllr Jas Dhot defected from Labour to the Hillingdon Conservatives, and at the time the group did not seek a fresh mandate or by-election. In fact, the defection was welcomed by the then Council Leader, Cllr Ian Edwards.
But Cllr Ekta Gohil, Chair of the Uxbridge and South Ruislip Conservative Association, said: "From time to time, particularly towards the end of political terms, people may naturally come to different conclusions about administrations, political parties or their own future in public life. That is understandable. What is far harder to justify is abandoning the team, platform and mandate under which you were elected only days after polling day, when nothing of substance has changed."
The Conservatives remain the largest party on the council, and have maintained their majority, albeit down to a majority of three. Reacting to the resignation, Hillingdon Reform said "the Turquoise wave continues" although Cllr Banerjee is not understood to have defected to the party.
There is still an election to be held in Hillingdon West which was delayed following the death of Reform UK candidate Sean Cooling. The ward was held by the Conservatives prior to the elections.
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