Journalist-turned-politician Chandan Mitra passes away at 65

Former Rajya Sabha MP and senior journalist Chandan Mitra passed away at the age of 65, after battling a prolonged illness. 

Journalist-turned-politician Chandan Mitra passes away at 65  [ Photo - Twitter]

The news was made public death in a tweet saying Mr. Mitra passed away late on 2nd September in Delhi. 

Earlier in his career, he was associated with newspapers like The Statesman, The Times of India, and Hindustan Times. Mitra had been the managing director and editor-in-chief of the Pioneer newspaper in Delhi. 

Considered a close aide of L. K. Advani, he was elected twice to Rajya Sabha as a representative of Bhartiya Janata Party. After resigning in 2018, he joined the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress. 

Tributes poured in after the news broke

PM Narendra Modi took to Twitter and expressed his grief stating Mitra will be remembered for his intellect and insights. He was a distinguished personality in the world of media and politics. 

Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta, also a dear friend of Mitra, took to Twitter to pay tribute to his friend. He stated their togetherness as students of La Martiniere for Boys and went on to St Stephen’s and Oxford. They joined journalism at the same time. Dasgupta also posted a picture of himself with Mitra from a school trip in 1972.   

CM Mamata Banerjee took to twitter to express her grief. She said that Mitra will be remembered for his contribution to the field of journalism and politics.  

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor tweeted Mitra was his campaign manager during his contest to be the president of the St Stephen's College Union Society. He added that they remained in touch over the years until politics separated them. 

Author 

Ankita Majumder