Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP from Basirhat, Haji Nurul Islam, who was undergoing treatment for liver cancer died on Wednesday.
He was 61.
His health deteriorated suddenly on Wednesday, prompting family members to summon medical assistance but he succumbed to his illness at home. Islam had contested against BJP’s Rekha Patra in Basirhat in this year’s Lok Sabha elections and won by a margin of over 3.35 lakh votes.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sharing her condolences on her X handle, said: “Saddened by the demise of my important colleague and Basirhat MP Haji Nurul Islam. He was a dedicated social worker from the remote Sundarbans region and worked tirelessly for the upliftment of the poor in this backward area. The people of Basirhat will miss his leadership. My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues.” Islam joined the TMC in January 1998, shortly after the party’s formation. He served as a member of the Bahera Gram Panchayat Samiti from 2003 to 2008 and then became a member of the North 24-Parganas District Council in 2008. In 2009, he was elected MP from Basirhat on a TMC ticket. However, in 2014, his Constituency was changed to Jangipur and he lost the polls.
In 2016, he was elected as the MLA from Haroa in North 24-Parganas and won the seat again in the 2021 Assembly polls.
In recent months, his health deteriorated and he had to be hospitalised multiple times. “It deeply saddens me to hear about the passing of our Lok Sabha MP from Basirhat, Haji Sk. Nurul Islam. He was a true champion of the Ma, Mati, Manush philosophy, dedicating his life to serving the people and safeguarding their well-being, even in his final days. My heartfelt condolences go out to his family and I pray for his soul to rest in peace,” Abhishek Banerjee, TMC’s national general secretary wrote on X.