Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee

Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee
বুদ্ধদেব ভট্টাচার্য
Bhattacharjee in 2006
7th Chief Minister of West Bengal
In office 6 November 2000[1] – 13 May 2011[2]
Preceded by	Jyoti Basu
Succeeded by	Mamata Banerjee
3rd Deputy Chief Minister of West Bengal
In office 12 January 1999 – 5 November 2000
Chief Minister	Jyoti Basu
Preceded by	Bijoy Singh Nahar
Succeeded by	Vacant
Cabinet Minister, Government of West Bengal
In office 1996 – 5 November 2000
Chief Minister	Jyoti Basu
Ministry and Departments	Home and Hill Affairs
In office 1987–1996
Chief Minister	Jyoti Basu
Ministry and Departments	Information and Culture, Urban Development, Municipal Affairs
In office 1977–1982
Ministry and Departments	Information and Culture
Member of Legislative Assembly, West Bengal
In office 1987–2011
Preceded by	Ashok Mitra[3]
Succeeded by	Manish Gupta
Constituency	Jadavpur
In office 1977–1982
Preceded by	Prafulla Kanti Ghosh
Succeeded by	Prafulla Kanti Ghosh
Constituency	Cossipur
Member of Polit Bureau, Communist Party of India (Marxist)
In office 2002–2015
Personal details
Born	(1944-03-01)1 March 1944 Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India
Died	8 August 2024(2024-08-08) (aged 80) Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Political party	Communist Party of India (Marxist)
Spouse	Meera Bhattacharjee
Relations	Sukanta Bhattacharya (uncle)
Children	Suchetan (Born: Suchetana) Bhattacharjee
Residence(s)	Palm Avenue, Kolkata, India
Alma mater	Presidency 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.