BJP’s Bhabanipur Strategist Chandranath Rath Shot Dead in Midnight Attack

Chandranath Rath, a close aide of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari and a key backroom strategist in the party’s Bengal operations, was shot dead in a midnight ambush in North 24 Parganas on Wednesday. The 41-year-old was returning to his Madhyamgram residence when motorcycle-borne assailants intercepted his SUV near Doharia around 10:30 PM and opened fire at point-blank range. His associate Buddhadeb Bera was critically injured in the attack.

From Air Force Veteran to Political Operator

Before entering politics, Rath served nearly two decades in the Indian Air Force and later worked briefly in the corporate sector. Originally from Purba Medinipur — closely associated with Adhikari’s political rise — he formally joined Adhikari’s team around 2019. Over the years, he evolved into a trusted strategist, managing logistics, coordinating organisational work, and handling sensitive campaign assignments across Bengal.

Confrontation at the Counting Centre

Rath had come into the spotlight just days earlier during a tense late-night standoff outside the Bhabanipur counting centre on April 30. When Mamata Banerjee staged a protest alleging EVM manipulation, party sources say Rath was among those coordinating the BJP’s counter-mobilisation during the charged face-off that stretched into the early hours of May 1.

The killing, occurring less than 48 hours after assembly poll results, has triggered widespread outrage and intensified concerns over post-poll political violence in West Bengal. Police have deployed additional forces in the area while investigators scan CCTV footage and gather forensic evidence.