Samik Bhattacharya
Samik Bhattacharya | |
|---|---|
 Bhattacharya speaking at a program in Basirhat, 2014 | |
| 11th State President of Bharatiya Janata Party, West Bengal | |
| Assumed office 3 July 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Sukanta Majumder |
| Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha | |
| Assumed office 3 April 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Abhishek Manu Singhvi |
| Constituency | West Bengal |
| Member of West Bengal Legislative Assembly for Basirhat Dakshin | |
| In office 26 September 2014 – 19 May 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Narayan Mukherjee |
| Succeeded by | Dipendu Biswas |
| Majority | 1,586 (0.84%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 5 November 1963 Maligaon, Assam, India |
| Political party | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Residence | Bidhannagar |
| Alma mater | Surendranath College (B.A.) |
| Occupation | Politician |
Samik Bhattacharya (born 5 November 1963) is an Indian politician who has been serving as the state president of Bharatiya Janata Party, West Bengal since July 2025.[1] He is also serving as a member of Rajya Sabha representing West Bengal since 2024.[2]
Early life
[edit]Born in 1963 at Maligaon village in Assam, Bhattacharya began his early childhood career by joining Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in 1971. He later joined BJP in the early 1980s. He has Bachelor of Arts degree at Surendranath College in 1988.[3][4]
Political career
[edit]Youth politics
[edit]Bhattacharya served in several positions in the early 1990s, such as the general secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) in South Howrah mandal (lit. 'zone'). Later, he became its general secretary in the Howrah district. He was later elevated to the post of state general secretary of the BJYM and held for 11 years.[5]
Early organisational roles in BJP
[edit]Bhattacharya was the state general secretary of BJP in West Bengal on three non-consecutive terms. He is the member of BJP National Council.
Initial electoral journey
[edit]He lost the Shyampukur Assembly seat in 2006 and the Basirhat Lok Sabha seat in 2014.[6][4]
He was elected from Basirhat Dakshin Assembly constituency in 2014 by-election by a margin of 1,586 and served as a Member of West Bengal Legislative Assembly until his defeat in 2016 to his rival Dipendu Biswas from Trinamool Congress. He was the second member from BJP to be elected in the assembly's history, first being in 1999. He was also defeated in Dum Dum Lok Sabha constituency in 2019 general election.[7][8]
Chief party spokesperson
[edit]Bhattacharya has been the chief spokesperson in BJP West Bengal in 2020. He contested in 2021 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election from Rajarhat New Town Assembly constituency. He was known by critics and supporters for his orator skills, soft-spoken and well accepted by both old and new factions in the party.[7][9][3]
Member of Rajya Sabha
[edit]
In April 2024, he was elected to Rajya Sabha from West Bengal. He was assigned as a member of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Kalyani since April 2024.
After 2025 Pahalgam attack in Kashmir, he was a member of the Indian Parliamentary delegation led by MP Ravi Shankar Prasad to visit European Union, UK, Italy and Denmark for explaining India's position on Operation Sindoor in May 2025.[10][11][3]
Committee memberships in Parliament
[edit]- Member, Standing Committee on Home Affairs (since September 2024)
State BJP President
[edit]Before 2026 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election, Bhattacharya was nominated to be the state party president of BJP in West Bengal. He was elected on 3 July 2025 unopposed and took charge at a ceremony held in Science City, Kolkata. His predecessor Sukanta Majumdar, Opposition Leader Suvendu Adhikari and Prasad was present during the ceremony.[12]
Electoral performance
[edit]| Year | Constituency | Legislature | Party | Votes for Bhattacharya | Result | Swing | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | % | Pos. | ±% | ||||||||
| 2006 | Shyampukur | Assembly | BJP | 16,304 | 32.5 | 2nd | +30 | Lost | CPI(M) Hold | ||
| 2014 | Basirhat | Lok Sabha | 2,33,887 | 18.36 | 3rd | +11.81 | Lost | AITC Gain | |||
| 2014[a] | Basirhat Dakshin | Assembly | 71,002 | 37.43 | 1st | +33.52 | Elected | BJP Gain | |||
| 2016 | Assembly | 64,027 | 29.55 | 2nd | +25.64 | Lost | AITC Gain | ||||
| 2019 | Dum Dum | Lok Sabha | 4,59,063 | 38.11 | 2nd | +15.61 | Lost | AITC Hold | |||
| 2021 | Rajarhat-Gopalpur | Assembly | 62,354 | 34.89 | 2nd | +22.92 | Lost | AITC Hold | |||
| 2024 | West Bengal | Rajya Sabha | Unopposed[b] | Elected | BJP Gain | ||||||
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Pradhan, Kaushik (20 July 2025). "In Samik Bhattacharya, Bengal BJP shifts to a leader with no followers and no baggage". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
- ^ "New face for Bengal BJP, Samik Bhattacharya to become state president unopposed". India Today. 2 July 2025. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
- ^ a b c Bhattacharya, Ahana (2 July 2025). "Samik Bhattacharya becomes the new President of West Bengal BJP ahead of 2026 Assembly Elections". The CSR Journal. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
- ^ a b "Samik Bhattacharya(Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP)):Constituency- RAJARHAT GOPALPUR(NORTH 24 PARGANAS) - Affidavit Information of Candidate". www.myneta.info. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
- ^ "A year before Bengal polls, BJP set to get a new state president: Who is Samik Bhattacharya?". The Indian Express. 3 July 2025. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
- ^ "IndiaVotes AC: Shyampukur 2006". IndiaVotes. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
- ^ a b "New West Bengal BJP president: Samik Bhattacharya replaces Sukanta Majumdar; flags threat under TMC rule". The Times of India. 3 July 2025. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
- ^ Singh, Shiv Sahay (2 July 2025). "Samik Bhattacharya is the new West Bengal BJP president". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
- ^ "Who is Samik Bhattacharya? New West Bengal BJP chief a BJP Rajya Sabha MP with strong RSS roots". Moneycontrol. 3 July 2025. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
- ^ "Samik Bhattacharya Appointed Bengal BJP President to Revive Party Ahead of 2026 Elections". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
- ^ "Operation Sindoor: Where India's all-party delegations are headed and who's going". The Hindu. 19 May 2025. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
- ^ "Samik Bhattacharya on course to be Bengal BJP president, the road ahead remains rocky". The Telegraph (India). 3 July 2025. Retrieved 3 July 2025.