Former West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has passed away.

Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, a veteran Left leader and former Chief Minister of West Bengal, passed away at his residence in south Kolkata this morning. He was 80 years old and had been unwell for some time, facing respiratory issues that required frequent hospitalizations. Last year, he had to be put on life support due to pneumonia, but he managed to make a comeback. He is survived by his wife Meera and son Suchetan.

Mr. Bhattacharjee, also a former member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) Politburo, served as the Chief Minister of Bengal from 2000 to 2011, succeeding Jyoti Basu in the role. He led the CPM into the 2011 state elections, which resulted in a historic win for the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress, ending the 34-year Communist rule in the state.

Known for his simple lifestyle, Mr. Bhattacharjee passed away at his two-bedroom flat at Palm Avenue, from where he once governed the state. As per his wishes, his organs will be donated for medical research. His body will be kept at the CPM headquarters to allow his followers to pay their respects, and the final journey will take place tomorrow.

An alumnus of Presidency College, Kolkata, Mr. Bhattacharjee was a school teacher before he joined politics full-time. After serving as an MLA and a state minister, he was elevated to Deputy Chief Minister before Mr. Basu stepped down in 2000. As Chief Minister, he led the CPM to Assembly poll victories in 2001 and 2006.

During Mr. Bhattacharjee's tenure, the Left Front government adopted a relatively open policy towards business compared to the Jyoti Basu regime. Ironically, it was this policy and land acquisitions related to industrialization that paved the way for the Left's stunning defeat in the 2011 election.

Trinamool Congress, which won just 30 seats in the 2006 elections, led the movement against the Tata Motors plant in Singur. Eventually, in 2008, Ratan Tata decided to shift the project to Gujarat and cited the movement by Ms. Banerjee as the reason. This was a big setback to Mr. Bhattacharjee's government. Equally damaging was the violence in Nandigram where police action against a group protesting land acquisition for a chemical hub project led to 14 deaths.

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Ms. Banerjee's Trinamool Congress benefitted from the public dissatisfaction with the Left Front government's long rule and controversial land acquisition policies, winning 184 seats in the 2011 election. The Left's decline began with this defeat, and the BJP has since become the main opposition, relegating the Left to a minor force in the state it once dominated.

Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose expressed his condolences to Mr. Bhattacharjee's family. In her condolence message, Chief Minister Banerjee stated that she had a long association with the veteran Left leader and expressed deep sadness. She also mentioned that they had decided to give him full respect and ceremonial honors during his last rites.

Leader of the Opposition, BJP's Suvendu Adhikari, expressed being "deeply saddened" by the news and conveyed his condolences to Mr. Bhattacharjee's family and supporters.

Long-time comrade and CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury described the news of Mr. Bhattacharjee's death as "shattering." He also praised Mr. Bhattacharjee's dedication to the party, West Bengal, and their shared ideals, as well as his forward-looking approach.