Sovandeb Chattopadhyay

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
Majority 49,894 (2011)
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 associate of Mamata Banerjee since mid 80s and was a prominent face in her fights against CPIM.He is also one of the founding member of Trinamool 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.

A boxer in his younger days, he is a veteran trade union leader, holding degrees in science and law. He is president of Kolkata Auto Rickshaw Operators' Union.

Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay won the Baruipur seat as a Congress candidate in 1991 and 1996 and as a Trinamool Congress candidate won the Rasbehari seat in 2001 and 2006. 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. He resigned from his seat in the Bhabanipur (Vidhan Sabha constituency) for CM Mamata Banerjee to contest West Bengal Legislative Assembly by-elections. 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.