Former Deputy Speaker of West Bengal Ashish Banerjee has died under suspicious circumstances. His dead body was found hanging in the party office. According to the police, at first glance this case appears to be a suicide. His body was found hanging in the party office near his house on Sunday morning.
While Ashish Banerjee died, a suicide note was also recovered. The real cause of death will be revealed only after postmortem. He has been an MLA of Trinamool Congress several times. He currently lived in Hattalapada of ward number five of Rampurhat. His office is adjacent to his house.
As soon as the news came out, many Trinamool Congress workers and common people reached the spot. He had been a five-time MLA. He won in 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016 and 2021. Had held the post of Deputy Speaker from 2021.
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Was defeated in 2026 assembly elections
He has also had the responsibility of Agriculture Minister and Biotechnology Department. In the 2026 assembly elections, he lost to Dhruv Saha of Bharatiya Janata Party. Some time ago he had joined Navya Trinamool. He had good relations with Anubrata Mandal. His death has spread shock in both the camps of Trinamool.
Who was Ashish Banerjee?
Ashish Banerjee was born in Rampurhat in Birbhum district of West Bengal. He completed his graduation and post graduation from Vardhaman University. Also took PhD degree from there. During his university days, he was elected General Secretary of the University Students Council.
After completing his studies, he became an associate professor of Bengali subject at Rampurhat College affiliated to Vardhaman University.
Ashish Banerjee, before becoming the former deputy speaker, was the agriculture department minister in the state government from 2017 to 2021. He has been elected MLA 5 times from Rampurhat assembly constituency. He got consecutive victories in the years 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016 and 2021.
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political innings was a hit
After coming into politics, he was elected MLA from Rampurhat for the first time in 2001 and after that won four more consecutive times. In 2014, he was made Minister of State for the first time in the cabinet of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and was given independent charge of the AYUSH department. He also had the planning department. In the year 2017, he became the Agriculture Minister of West Bengal Government in place of former Agriculture Minister Purnendu Bose and remained in this post till 2021.