Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, the former Chief Minister of West Bengal and a prominent communist leader, has died at the age of 80. He passed away at his residence in Kolkata’s Ballygunge at 8:20 am, the family announced the news on Thursday.
Bhattacharjee is survived by his wife Mira and daughter Suchetana. The news of his passing was confirmed by Communist Party of India (Marxist) State secretary Mohammed Salim.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her sorrow over Bhattacharjee’s “sudden demise.” She stated, “I am deeply saddened by the sudden death of former West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharya. I had known him for many years and had visited him during his illness in recent years. My heartfelt condolences go out to Mira and Suchetana, as well as to the members, supporters, and followers of the CPI(M).”
Bhattacharjee, who celebrated his 80th birthday in March, had been grappling with age-related health issues for some time, leading to multiple hospitalisations and a retreat from public life.
He served as CM of West Bengal from 2000 to 2011, succeeding Jyoti Basu, a senior CPI(M) leader. His tenure marked the end of the Left’s 34-year rule in Bengal, with the 2011 Assembly elections won by Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC). His time in office was notably characterised by conflicts over land acquisition for industrial projects, which were a major source of contention with Mamata Banerjee.
In 2015, Bhattacharjee resigned from the CPI(M) politburo and central committee, and he stepped down from the party’s State secretariat three years later. For the past few years, he had largely withdrawn from public life, residing in his two-room government flat in south Kolkata’s Palm Avenue.
His final public appearance was during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, when he made a surprise visit to a Left rally at Brigade Parade Grounds with oxygen support, to the astonishment of his party workers.
