Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had been suffering from various age-related health issues, leading to multiple hospitalizations in recent years.
Former West Bengal Chief Minister and esteemed leader of the Communist Party, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, passed away at the age of 80, as confirmed by his family on Thursday morning. He died peacefully at his home in Kolkata’s Ballygunge at 8:20 am.
Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee leaves behind his wife, Mira, and daughter, Suchetana.
The news was confirmed by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) state secretary, Mohammed Salim.
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West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee expressed condolences
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her deep sorrow at the news of Bhattacharjee’s passing. She tweeted, “I am deeply saddened by the sudden demise of former West Bengal Chief Minister Shri Buddhadeb Bhattacharya. I have known him for decades and visited him at home several times during his illness in recent years. My heartfelt condolences go out to Meeradi, Suchetan, and the entire CPI(M) community during this time of loss.”
About Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee
Bhattacharjee, who turned 80 in March, had been suffering from various age-related health issues, leading to multiple hospitalizations in recent years. These health challenges had kept him away from the public eye.
He served as West Bengal’s Chief Minister from 2000 to 2011, following the tenure of the veteran CPI(M) leader Jyoti Basu.
Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was the last Chief Minister from the Left in West Bengal. His government was ousted in the 2011 Assembly elections by the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC), ending the Left’s 34-year reign in the state.
His time in office was marked by significant protests, particularly over land acquisition for industrial projects, which were led by Mamata Banerjee.
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In 2015, Bhattacharjee resigned from the CPI(M) politburo and central committee, and three years later, he stepped down from the party’s state secretariat.
In his later years, he largely withdrew from public life, spending most of his time at his modest government flat on Palm Avenue in south Kolkata.
His final public appearance was a surprise visit to a Left rally at Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Grounds in 2019, where he arrived with oxygen support, shortly before the Lok Sabha elections.