Former West Bengal Chief Minister and veteran Left leader Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee died at his residence in Kolkata on Thursday morning, August 8. He was 80-years-old. He had been suffering from respiratory problems that led to frequent hospitalisations.
In 2023, he was diagnosed with pneumonia and put on life support, but the veteran CPM leader made a comeback. Bhattacharjee was survived by his wife Meera and son Suchetan.
Bhattacharjee was a former member of the CPM's top decision-making body and served as West Bengal CM from 2000 to 2011. Bhattacharjee led the CPM into the 2011 state polls when the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress posted a historic win, ending the 34-year Communist rule in the eastern state.
Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Education also worked as a school teacher at Presidency College in Kolkata, before joining politics full-time. He served as MLA and a state minister before becoming Deputy Chief Minister when Basu stepped down in 2000.