Rajya Sabha ex-MP and veteran journalist Chandan Mitra passes away

Shubhadeep Choudhury    

Tribune News Service                                                 

New Delhi, September 2

Chandan Mitra, Editor-in-Chief of the Pioneer, who was Rajya Sabha member on two occasions, died here on Wednesday night.

He was 65. Mitra has left behind his wife and two sons from a previous marriage.

“Dad passed away late last night. He had been suffering for a while,” Mitra’s elder son Kushan said in a tweet. Shakya is the name of Mitra’s younger son.

In a tweet, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “Shri Chandan Mitra Ji will be remembered for his intellect and insights. He distinguished himself in the world of media as well as politics. Anguished by his demise. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti.”

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said she was sad to hear about Mitra’s death. Mitra was a commentator on life and society. “His death is a great loss for the world of journalism,” Banerjee said in a message.

In an emotional tweet, Rajya Sabha member Sawapan Dasgupta said, “I lost my closest friend—editor of Pioneer & former MP Chandan Mitra. We were together as students of La Martiniere (Kolkata) & went on to St Stephen’s & Oxford. We joined journalism at the same time & shared the excitement of Ayodhya & the saffron wave.”

Mitra, who was close to BJP leader LK Advani, had his first stint in the Rajya Sabha as a nominated member. His became a member of the Rajya Sabha for the second time as a BJP candidate from Madhya Pradesh. Mitra also unsuccessfully contested the Hoogly Lok Sabha seat from West Bengal on a BJP ticket in the 2014 general election.

With the emergence of the Modi-Shah combine in the BJP as the party’s main power centre, Mitra got sidelined. He joined the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress in 2018 but never actively took part in the activities of the party.

When the Thapar group disinvested from the Pioneer, Mitra, who was then Editor-in-Chief of the daily, took over as the proprietor of the publication. Mitra had earlier worked on the Statesman, The Times of India, The Sunday Observer and the Hindustan Times.