Priyanka Gandhi and Leaders Mourn the Passing of Former West Bengal CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee

New Delhi, India – Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi paid tribute to former Chief Minister of West Bengal, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who passed away at the age of eighty on Thursday morning in Kolkata.

In a post on X, Priyanka Gandhi expressed her condolences, saying, “I received the sad news of the demise of former West Bengal Chief Minister Budhadev Bhattacharya. Tribute to the departed personality. Deep condolences to the bereaved family and his supporters.”

Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who served as the Chief Minister of West Bengal from 2000 to 2011, was suffering from old age-related ailments. He was the second and last CPI (M) leader to serve as the CM of West Bengal, succeeding Jyoti Basu. In the 2011 assembly polls, Bhattacharjee-led CPI (M) lost to Mamata Banerjee-led TMC, ending a 34-year communist rule in West Bengal.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also shared her condolences on X, stating, “Shocked and saddened by the sudden demise of the former Chief Minister Sri Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. I have known him for last several decades and visited him a few times when he was ill and effectively confined to home in the last few years. My very sincere condolences to Meeradi and Suchetan at this hour of grief.”

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge offered his condolences, noting Bhattacharjee’s long political career, “He served the people in a political career spanning more than five decades.”

West Bengal Leader of Opposition, BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, expressed his sorrow, saying, “I am deeply saddened to learn that former West Bengal Chief Minister; Shri Buddhadeb Bhattacharya has left for his heavenly abode. Condolences to his family members and admirers. I pray that his soul finds eternal peace.”

CPI (M) West Bengal State Secretary Md Salim remarked, “It’s very sad news for us and the state and all those people of the country who think about the labourers and common people. As a good administrator, honest person, aggressive secular and such a leader, losing him is a loss for all of us.”