West Bengal Assembly election 2021, Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay profile: TMC’s Bhabanipur candidate to face BJP’s Rudranil Ghosh

West Bengal power minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay has been fielded by the Trinamool Congress from the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency in the upcoming polls in the state.

He will face competition from actor and BJP candidate Rudranil Ghosh, when the constituency goes to polls in the seventh of eight phases on 26 April. He has been fielded from the seat after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee decided to contest from Nandigram against TMC turncoat Suvendu Adhikari.

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. He was the founder-president of the Indian National Trinamool Trade Union Congress (INTTUC) – the labour wing of the TMC. In 2011 and 2016, he was further re-elected. He was the chief whip in the West Bengal Assembly from 2011 to 2016. In 2016, he took charge as the Minister of Power and Non Conventional Energy.

Chattopadhyay was a boxer during his college days and went on to become the president of the Kolkata Auto Rickshaw Operators’ Union. He is a lawyer by profession.

The Behala Purba Assembly constituency lies in the Kolkata district. It is a part of the Kolkata Dakshin Lok Sabha constituency.

Elections for the West Bengal Assembly will be held in eight phases, up from seven last time, beginning with polling for 30 seats on 27 March. The second phase of West Bengal's assembly elections has been scheduled for 1 April and will cover 30 constituencies, followed by the third phase on 6 April for 31 seats, the fourth on 10 April for 44 constituencies, the fifth on 17 April for 45 seats, sixth for 43 seats on 22 April, seventh phase on 26 April for 36 seats and last and eighth phase on 29 April for 35 seats.

The results of the election will be declared on 2 May.