Former West Bengal CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee dies

Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, veteran Left leader and former West Bengal Chief Minister, died at his south Kolkata residence on Thursday morning. 

He was 80. He had been unwell for a while and had been suffering from respiratory problems that led to frequent hospitalisations. Last year, he had to be put on life support after he contracted pneumonia. But the veteran CPM leader made a comeback.

He is survived by his wife Meera and son Suchetan.

Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, also a former member of the CPM's top decision-making body, Politburo, served as Bengal Chief Minister from 2000 to 2011, succeeding Jyoti Basu in the top post. he 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.

An alumnus of Presidency College, Kolkata, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was a school teacher before he joined politics full-time. After serving as an MLA and a state minister, he was elevated to Deputy Chief Minister before Basu stepped down in 2000. As Chief Minister, he led the CPM to Assembly poll victories in 2001 and 2006.