Once hailed as the champion of development in Bengal, former chief minister Budhadeb Bhattacharjee’s political journey met an abrupt end as he was ousted from the seat of chief minister in 2011, when the Trinamool Congress vengefully ended the reign of 34 years of CPM rule in the state. 

Tragically for Bengal, the fall of Budhadeb marked the fall of the party as well.

The three-time chief minister, who took the reins from the greatest CPM leader of Bengal, Jyoti Basu, and successfully led two more election campaigns from the front, was ruthlessly portrayed as the man who scripted the downfall of the party in the state, once considered the strongest forte of the CPM in the country. 

Ironically, the man who was hailed as the hero of development was seen as the one who had destroyed the proletarian nature of the CPM and eroded its very essence in the state.

As messages pour in from all walks of life, condoling the loss of Budhadeb, the affable, soft-spoken leader of the CPM, it seems that an era has come to an end. 
With the towering figure of Bengal’s CPM disappearing, the glorious past of the CPM in the state also fades away from the romantic memories of the party workers and supporters.

It was tragic for Budhadeb, as he presided over the fall of the CPM in a state where the party had ruled unchallenged for around three and a half decades. Worse, many critics had named him the perpetrator of this catastrophe, citing his thoughtless attempts to take the state down the path of development as catalysts for the party's destruction. It is ironic that the last Communist chief minister of Bengal was portrayed as the anti-hero who had scripted the obituary of the party in the state. Still, history will hail him as a committed, hard-core Communist who strived to lead the party and government with the determination of a seasoned soldier.

Budhadeb began his political career as a CPM member in 1966. From there, he rose to the position of DYFI state secretary, became a CPM central committee member, a politburo member, and served as the Chief Minister of the state for three terms.

When the question arose of who would don the role of CM after Jyoti Basu, the party had no hesitation in naming Budhadeb as the successor to the great man, since he had an immaculate political image as a staunch and uncompromising CPM leader with a vision for the future. 

Nobody had any doubts regarding his integrity and honesty, as he had been a regular member of Jyoti Basu’s ministries since 1977. With Jyoti Basu’s health deteriorating, he was named Deputy CM in 1999 and sworn in as CM in 2000.

Elected from the Kashipur constituency in 1977 for the first time, he became a minister during his first term in the Assembly. In the next election in 1982, Budhadeb faced defeat in Kashipur and shifted to Jadavpur in 1987. He won five consecutive elections from Jadavpur, but suffered defeat at the hands of TMC leader Manish Gupta in 2011, an election that saw the end of CPM rule in the state.

Though his attempts to lead Bengal down the path of industrialisation and development succeeded initially, he faltered in later stages, and many of his initiatives led to controversies and political disasters. Protests erupted against him and the CPM for giving land to Tata at Singur, and he was criticised for compromising on Communist values. 

The situation worsened when acres of farmers’ land were allocated for industrial purposes at Nandigram, a remote village. Agitations were staged against the government, and 14 people were killed during a police shootout on March 14, 2007. This incident virtually sealed his fate as a ruler and expedited the end of CPM rule in the state.

Ever since the drubbing suffered in the Assembly elections of 2011, Budhadeb had kept himself away from holding any party positions, citing deteriorating health. Although he expressed his desire to abstain from party activities since 2011, the party was reluctant to let him retire from active politics. However, as his health deteriorated in 2018, he was relieved of all positions in the party.

Sadly, the age of Budhadeb had well surpassed him even before he died. The last Communist chief minister of West Bengal is no more, but his legacy will be remembered for a long time.