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Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, veteran leftist leader and former West Bengal chief minister, has died at his south Kolkata residence on Thursday, reports bdnews24.com.
He was 80, reports NDTV.
The former chief minister had been unwell for a while, suffering from respiratory problems that led to frequent hospitalisations. Last year, he had to be put on life support after contracting pneumonia. But the veteran CPM leader made a recovery.
Bhattacharjee, also a former member of the CPM's top decision-making body, Politburo, served as Bengal chief minister from 2000 to 2011, succeeding Jyoti Basu in the top post.
He led the CPM into the 2011 state polls, but was unsuccessful when the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress posted a historic win, ending 34 years of Communist rule in the eastern India state.