Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, former West Bengal CM and CPIM veteran, no more

Buddhadeb, who had been suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease for some years, was 80

Written by Atri Mitra

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Kolkata | Updated: August 8, 2024 01:59 PM IST

2 min read

Bhattacharya, who served at the chief minister from November 2000 to May 2011, lived in a small two-room government apartment in south Kolkata’s Ballygunge area.

Former chief minister of West Bengal and veteran CPIM leader Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee passed away at 8.20 am Thursday at his residence in Kolkata’s Palm Avenue. Buddhadeb, who had been suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease for some years, was 80. He is survived by his wife Mira and son Suchetan.

It was in 2000 that he was made the chief minister when Jyoti Basu – the then longest serving chief minister in the country – stepped down due to his health. As CM, he led the Left Front to consecutive victories in the assembly polls in 2001 and 2006.

He was known as a reformist among the Left, especially for trying to bring in industrialisation to the state.

He was behind setting up of a Tata Nano plant in Singur and planning a special economic zone in Nandigram, and it was during his regime that Bengal saw investments in sectors of IT and IT enabled services.

On Wednesday night, Buddhadeb’s breathing problems became severe. It was decided that doctors at Woodlands would examine him by 11 am on Thursday and admit him to the hospital, if necessary. Sources said his condition deteriorated again in the morning, and he breathed his last before he could be hospitalised.

He was last seen outside in 2019 when he went to a CPI(M) rally but could not attend due to a dust allergy and returned home.

During the 2024 polls, his party shared a video of him generated using AI, urging voters to vote for the Left and secular forces in polls.

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“A stalwart in public service, his extensive experience of over 5 decades as an MLA, Minister and later as Chief Minister has left an indelible mark. His simplicity, rich contributions to Bengali literature and commitment to community service were noteworthy,” Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma wrote in a post on X.

Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu wrote, “His vast tenure of over five decades as an MLA, Minister, and eventually as Chief Minister has left a lasting legacy. Renowned for his humility, significant contributions to Bengali literature, and unwavering dedication to public service, he will be deeply missed.”

Atri Mitra

Atri Mitra is a Special Correspondent of The Indian Express with more than 20 years of experience in reporting from West Bengal, Bihar and the North-East. He has been covering administration and political news for more than ten years and has a keen interest in political development in West Bengal. Atri holds a Master degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University and Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University. He is also an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur. He started his career with leading vernacular daily the Anandabazar Patrika, and worked there for more than fifteen years. He worked as Bihar correspondent for more than three years for Anandabazar Patrika. He covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections. He also worked with News18-Bangla and covered the Bihar Lok Sabha election in 2019. ... Read More

Ravik Bhattacharya

Ravik Bhattacharya is the Chief of Bureau of The Indian Express, Kolkata. Over 20 years of experience in the media industry and covered politics, crime, major incidents and issues, apart from investigative stories in West Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Andaman Nicobar islands. Ravik won the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award in 2007 for political reporting. Ravik holds a bachelor degree with English Hons from Scottish Church College under Calcutta University and a PG diploma in mass communication from Jadavpur University. Ravik started his career with The Asian Age and then moved to The Statesman, The Telegraph and Hindustan Times. ... Read More

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