Srijan Bhattacharya: CPM’s young Singur face hopes to revive party’s fortunes

Known to be calm and affable, Srijan Bhattacharya’s campaign has gained a fair bit of traction in Singur.

Student leader Srijan Bhattacharya.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has fielded student leader Srijan Bhattacharya from Singur constituency in the West Bengal elections, and the 28-year-old will be taking on two heavyweights – the Trinamool Congress’s Becharam Manna and the BJP’s Rabindra Nath Bhattacharya.

The Singur and Nandigram agitations in 2007-2008 had cost the CPM heavily, and eventually led to the dethroning of the Left regime after 34 years in West Bengal. The party has been progressively on the decline in the state since then and hopes to revive its fortunes this time by fielding younger faces such as Bhattacharya.

A resident of Haltu in South Kolkata, where the CPM’s organisation continues to be strong, Bhattacharya holds a Master’s in History from Jadavpur University and has been quite active in SFI politics.

Known to be calm and affable, Srijan’s campaign has gained a fair bit of traction in Singur.

With the constituency set to vote on April 10, Bhattacharya is busy with last-minute campaigning in the area. He has been covering 10-km daily, even telling some BJP supporters that he can “convince them to vote for the CPI(M)”.

In the elections this year, the CPM has fielded many fresh faces, including candidates such as Meenakshi Mukherjee (Nandigram), Aishe Ghosh (Jamuria) and Dipsita Dhar (Bally), apart from Bhattacharya in Singur, with an aim to attract new youth voters and set up new line of young leadership in the party. “Once upon a time, Gautam Deb, Saifuddin Choudhury and many others became leaders of the party at a very young age and in a very short period of time. Since then, we have not had a young leadership and it has affected our organisation. After a long time, we have a very good line-up of young leaders, and Srijan is prominent among them.”

Atri Mitra

Atri Mitra is a highly accomplished Special Correspondent for The Indian Express, bringing over 20 years of experience to his reporting. His work is characterized by deep regional knowledge and a focus on critical administrative and political developments, establishing strong Expertise and Authority in his domain. Experience Current Role: Special Correspondent, The Indian Express. Decades of Experience: Over two decades of extensive reporting experience, primarily covering administration and political news. Geographical Focus: Holds significant reporting experience from West Bengal, Bihar, and the North-East, providing a comprehensive understanding of the socio-political landscape in these regions. Key Coverage: Has dedicated more than ten years to covering administration and political news, with a keen focus on political developments in West Bengal. Electoral Reporting: Demonstrated a commitment to crucial political moments, having covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections during his time at Anandabazar Patrika, and the 2019 Bihar Lok Sabha election while working with News18-Bangla. Career Foundation: Began his career at the leading vernacular daily Anandabazar Patrika, where he worked for more than fifteen years, including a three-year stint as the Bihar correspondent. Education Advanced Degree: Holds a Master's degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University, providing an analytical framework for his political and administrative reporting. Undergraduate Education: Holds a Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University. Prestigious Alumni: His educational background includes attending esteemed institutions: he is an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur. Atri Mitra's decades of dedicated reporting, substantial focus on political and administrative beats, and solid academic credentials make him a trusted and authoritative source for news and analysis from Eastern and North-Eastern India. ... Read More