Kolkata. Former West Bengal CM and CPM stalwart Buddhadeb Bhattacharya died in Kolkata on Thursday at the age of 80. Buddhadeb Bhattacharya’s son Suchetan Bhattacharya gave this information. Buddhadeb Bhattacharya was admitted to the hospital after his health deteriorated. He was the second CM of the Left Front government in West Bengal. Jyoti Basu was the CM before him. The Left Front government in West Bengal lasted for 34 years and Buddhadeb Bhattacharya was the CM from 2000 to 2011. Buddhadeb Bhattacharya was an MLA from Kolkata’s Jadavpur assembly seat for 24 years. He was defeated by Bengal’s former Chief Secretary Manish Gupta by 16684 votes from this seat in 2011.
Buddhadev Bhattacharya was born on 1 March 1944 in Kolkata. His grandfather Krishnachandra Smrititirtha was a renowned Sanskrit scholar of Madaripur district of Bangladesh. Buddhadev Bhattacharya’s father Nepalchandra Bhattacharya opened a publishing house named Saraswati Library. Bengal’s famous poet Sukanta Bhattacharya was his uncle. Buddhadev Bhattacharya took an honours degree in Bengali literature from Presidency College, Kolkata and was also a teacher in a government school. His wife’s name is Meera Bhattacharya. Buddhadev Bhattacharya also has a daughter Suchetna Bhattacharya.
Buddhadeb Bhattacharya joined the CPM in 1966. He also joined the food movement and opposed the Vietnam War. In 1968, he was made the state secretary of the Democratic Youth Federation. He remained on this post till 1981. In 1972, CPM made Buddhadeb Bhattacharya a member of the state committee. Then in 1982, he got a place in the state secretariat. From 1977 to 1982, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya was an MLA from Kashipur-Belgachhia seat in Bengal. He also worked as a minister in the West Bengal government from 1977 to 1982. He was also made a permanent member of the CPM’s Central Committee.
