KOLKATA: Despite his party Trinamool Congress facing defeat, Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, aged 82, emerged victorious from the Ballygunge constituency, scripting history as the only MLA in West Bengal to serve a 10th consecutive term.
A close associate of Mamata Banerjee
This octogenarian Trinamool MLA is one of Mamata Banerjee's closest associates since the party's founding on January 1, 1998. He was the sole MLA representing the party in the state assembly at that time, having won a by-election shortly after the party's formation in 1998. Compared to his 2021 result from the Khardah seat, where he won by 93,832 votes, his victory margin decreased slightly this time. However, it remained the highest victory margin from an assembly seat in Kolkata, as he defeated BJP candidate Shatarupa Chattopadhyay by 61,476 votes.
Preparing for opposition role
Preparing to enter the state assembly as an opposition MLA, Chattopadhyay said, "Remember that before we came to office, I represented an opposition party as an MLA for 20 years, so it is not a big deal. However, I am quite upset about the way other candidates of my party were defeated, especially our leader Mamata Banerjee. It was unfair. I have long experience with counting and have never seen such misbehaviour with election agents, who were barred from carrying even medicines for blood pressure and diabetes. The Election Commission restricted anyone from being present at the compilation table, which is a first in my experience. Irregularities were very common during the Left regime in ballot compilation. This time, we received only as much information as they provided us."
Political journey spanning decades
Chattopadhyay started his political journey in the 1960s during his college days. He first entered the assembly in 1991 after winning the Baruipur seat as a Congress candidate and was re-elected from the same constituency in 1996.
During his political career, his seat changed multiple times. Whether it was Baruipur, Rashbehari, Bhabanipur, Khardah, or Ballygunge, he accepted the party's decision without question. This time, while his former assembly seats were won by BJP candidates, he secured victory with a high margin.
Credit to voters
Asked about his "image factor," he gave full credit to the voters, saying, "People of this area had accepted me before I even started campaigning, which I feel is the biggest gift from them."
Accepting his party's defeat, Chattopadhyay said: "I have certain commitments to the voters who supported me, and I must keep my promises. I have done developmental work for my constituencies, and this time, despite the changed scenario, I will do the same."
