Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee

Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee
বুদ্ধদেব ভট্টাচার্য
Bhattacharjee in 2009
7th Chief Minister of West Bengal
In office
6 November 2000 – 13 May 2011
Preceded byJyoti Basu
Succeeded byMamata Banerjee
3rd Deputy Chief Minister of West Bengal
In office
12 January 1999 – 5 November 2000
Chief MinisterJyoti Basu
Preceded byBijoy Singh Nahar
Succeeded byVacant
Member of Polit Bureau, Communist Party of India (Marxist)
In office
2002 – 2015
Cabinet Minister, West Bengal
Minister of Home Affairs & Police
In office
1996–2011
Minister of Information and Culture
In office
1987–2011
In office
1977–1982
Minister of Urban Development and Municipal Affairs
In office
1987–1996
Legislative offices
Member of Legislative Assembly, West Bengal
In office
1987–2011
Preceded byAshok Mitra[1]
Succeeded byManish Gupta
ConstituencyJadavpur
In office
1977–1982
Preceded byPrafulla Kanti Ghosh
Succeeded byPrafulla Kanti Ghosh
ConstituencyCossipur
Personal details
Born(1944-03-01)1 March 1944
Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India
Died8 August 2024(2024-08-08) (aged 80)
Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Political party Communist Party of India (Marxist)
SpouseMeera Bhattacharjee
RelationsSukanta Bhattacharya (uncle)
ChildrenSuchetan (Born: Suchetana) Bhattacharjee
Residence(s)Palm Avenue, Kolkata, India
Alma materPresidency College

Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee (1 March 1944 – 8 August 2024) was an Indian communist politician and a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), who served as the 7th Chief Minister of West Bengal from 2000 to 2011. In a political career over five decades, he became one of the senior leaders of Communist Party of India (Marxist) during his regime.

Bhattacharjee was known for his relatively open policies regarding business, in contrast with the previous financial policies of the CPI(M), which were primarily anti-capitalist. However, he faced strong land acquisition protests and allegations about violence against the protesters. This led Bhattacharjee to lose the 2011 elections, resulting in the fall of Left Front's 34 years of rule in West Bengal, the world's longest-lasting democratically elected Communist government.