Jyotibhushan Bhattacharya
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Professor Jyotibhushan Bhattacharya (1 May 1926 – 1998) was an Indian politician and scholar[vague]. He served as general secretary of the Workers Party of India.[1] He served as a Minister in both of the United Front governments in West Bengal.
Bhattacharya was born on 1 May 1926.[2] He studied at Calcutta University and Leeds University, obtaining M.A. degrees at both universities.[3][4][5] He took part in the Quit India Movement and was jailed during the struggle for Indian independence.[3][6] Bhattacharya came into contact with the Democratic Vanguard leader Jiban Lal Chatterjee in 1943.[7] After Chatterjee founded the WPI, Bhattacharya became a key leader of the party.[7]
WPI leader
Bhattacharya worked as a lecturer in English at Dibrugarh University, Assam, later shifting to Calcutta University, where he retired as Professor of English.[3][6] During the Sino-Indian War of 1962 cadres of the Communist Party of India, the Socialist Unity Centre of India and WPI were arrested.[8] Bhattacharya, as a leading party member, was one of the WPI cadres caught in this wave of arrests.[9]
Education Minister
Bhattacharya won the Ballygunge constituency seat in the 1967 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election.[10] He obtained 21,153 votes (53.74%).[11] He served as Education Minister in the first United Front cabinet 1967–1968.[3][6]