Former CPI(M) MP Sudhangshu Seal dies at age of 81

CPI(M) MP Sudhangshu served as a five-time councillor in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and also held the post of mayoral council member.

Kolkata: Former CPI(M) MP Sudhangshu Seal died at a private hospital in Kolkata early on Thursday after a prolonged age-related illness, party sources said. He was 81. "His body will be kept at the party office in central Kolkata for his colleagues, supporters and well-wishers to pay their last respects," a senior leader told PTI.

A well-known organiser within the CPI(M) ranks, Seal had a long and active political career spanning several decades. He served as a five-time councillor in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and also held the post of mayoral council member.

He rose through the party organisation to become a prominent face in city politics, winning the Jorabagan Assembly seat in the 2001 West Bengal Assembly elections.

While serving as an MLA, he contested the 2004 Lok Sabha polls from the Calcutta North West constituency and defeated heavyweight Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay, marking one of the notable electoral wins of his career.

In the 2010 Kolkata Municipal Corporation elections, Seal was the Left Front's mayoral candidate, but the alliance lost control of the civic body to the Trinamool Congress.

Senior Left leaders expressed grief over his demise.

CPI(M) state secretary, Md. Salim said, "He was a committed organiser and a disciplined party worker who served the people of Kolkata for decades. His contribution to the organisation will be remembered." Left Front chairman Biman Bose also conveyed his condolences.

With his passing, the CPI(M) lost one of its long-time city organisers who remained active through some of the most politically turbulent decades in West Bengal.