Burdwan TMC MLA not to contest polls due to old age

Kolkata: Rabiranjan Chattopadhyay, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA from Bardhaman South, expressed his inability to contest 2021 Assembly elections due to age-related issues and poor health condition.

In a letter to party's Chairperson Mamata Banerjee, he wrote: "I beg to inform you that I will not contest in the coming West Bengal Assembly elections 2021 due to my age and poor health condition. I express my sincere thanks and gratitude for giving me an opportunity to serve the people of Bardhaman for two consecutive terms."

The 81-year-old leader had created history by defeating Nirupam Sen, the former state Industry minister as a debutant in 2011 from Bardhaman South seat. He became the state minister for Technical Education and Training and Science and Technology and Biotechnology.

A professor of Burdwan University, Chattopadhyay along with Sunanda Sanyal, Amlan Dutta and others had set up Ganamukti Parishad and supported Mamata Banerjee in Singur, Nandigram and Netai movements. They used to campaign intensely in these areas to expose the double standards of the Left Front government.

Even, TMC members were taken aback when Banerjee had fielded him against Nirupam Sen.

Chattopadhyay defeated Sen comfortably and put an end to the CPI (M) rule in Burdwan. CPI (M) had a separate lobby called the Burdwan lobby. Burdwan had produced great CPI (M) leaders, including Harekrishna Konar, Benoy Chowdhury, Saroj Mukherjee, Mansur Habibullah, Mehboob Zahedi, Rabin Sen and Saifuddin Chowdhury, among others.

After 2011, TMC made an inroad in Burdwan and Chattopadhyay was elected again in 2016.