Jyoti Basu: News

Born on July 8, 1914, in Calcutta (present-day Kolkata), Jyoti Basu was an eminent Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI[M]) leader and a former Chief Minister of West Bengal. He studied at the Presidency College and went to London to pursue law. It was in London that he got acquainted with communist ideologies and took an active part in the clubs and groups campaigning for the movement. On his return to India in 1940, he joined the Communist Party of India (CPI) and was instrumental in establishing the Bengal-Nagpur Railway Workers' Union. After India got independence in 1947, he was elected as a member of the Bengal Legislative Assembly from the erstwhile Railway Employees constituency. In the 1952 Assembly polls, he successfully contested from Baranagar and held the seat until 1972. He coordinated the efforts of the CPI when fellow communist parties joined hands in presenting a united front to dethrone the then Congress government in the state. However, he later split from the CPI and co-founded the CPI(M). In 1967, the United Front government, which the CPI(M) was part of, came to power. After serving as the Deputy Chief Minister, Basu was elected Chief Minister of West Bengal in 1977. He went on to hold office until 2000 and quit active politics the same year. The five-time CM, however, remained a part of the CPI(M) until his death in 2010.