Sovandeb Chattopadhyay | |
|---|---|
 Chattopadhyay in March 2023 | |
| Minister of Agriculture and Parliamentary Affairs Government of West Bengal | |
| Assumed office 10 May 2021 | |
| Governor | Jagdeep Dhankhar La. Ganesan (additional charge) C. V. Ananda Bose |
| Chief Minister | Mamata Banerjee |
| Preceded by | Asish Banerjee |
| Minister for Power &Non Conventional Energy,Government of West Bengal | |
| In office 27 May 2016 –9 May 2021 | |
| Chief Minister | Mamata Banerjee |
| Preceded by | Manish Gupta |
| Succeeded by | Aroop Biswas |
| Chief Whip Of All India Trinamool Congress | |
| In office 2011–2016 | |
| Member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly | |
| Assumed office 2 November 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Kajal Sinha |
| Constituency | Khardaha |
| Majority | 93,832 |
| In office 2 May 2021 –21 May 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Mamata Banerjee |
| Succeeded by | Mamata Banerjee |
| Constituency | Bhabanipur |
| Majority | 28,719 |
| In office 1998 —2021 | |
| Preceded by | Dr. Hoimi Basu |
| Succeeded by | Debasish Kumar |
| Constituency | Rashbehari |
| In office 1991–1998 | |
| Preceded by | Hemen Majumdar |
| Succeeded by | Sujan Chakraborty |
| Constituency | Baruipur Paschim |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 30 January 1944 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Political party | All India Trinamool Congress (1998 –present) |
| Other political affiliations | Indian National Congress (1976-1998) |
| Spouse | Supriya Chattopadhyay |
| Children | 2 Sons |
| Residence | Bhabanipur |
| Alma mater | University of Calcutta (B.Sc.,LL.B.) |
Sovandeb Chattopadhyay is a veteran Indian politician representing All India Trinamool Congress and is the first elected MLA of the party (elected in 1998). He was the founder president of INTTUC,the labour wing of his party Trinamool Congress.
He is one of the close associates of Mamata Banerjee since mid 80s and was a prominent face in her fights against CPIM. He is also one of the founding members of Trinamool Congress in 1998.
He was the Government Chief Whip of his first TMC government in the West Bengal Vidhan Sabha from 2011 to 2016. On 27 May 2016 he took charge as the Hon'ble Minister of Power &Non Conventional Energy,Government of West Bengal. [1]
A boxer in his younger days,he is a veteran trade union leader,holding degrees in science and law. [2] [3] He is president of Kolkata Auto Rickshaw Operators' Union. [4]
Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay won the Baruipur seat as a Congress candidate in 1991 and 1996 [5] [6] and as a Trinamool Congress candidate won the Rasbehari seat in 2001 and 2006. [7] [8] In 2011 he was pitted against a green-horn and won by nearly 50,000 votes and was further re-elected in 2016. Currently he is the Minister-in-Charge,Department of Agriculture and Parliamentary Affairs in the Government of West Bengal. [2] He resigned from his seat in the Bhabanipur (Vidhan Sabha constituency) for CM Mamata Banerjee to contest West Bengal Legislative Assembly by-elections. [9] He then contested the by election from Khardah (Vidhan Sabha constituency) and won with a margin of 93,832 votes.
He presently serves as a Minister in West Bengal Cabinet and also as the Deputy Leader of the House in West Bengal Legislative Assembly.
