Haji Islam, Trinamool MP from Basirhat dies at 61

Kolkata, Sep 25 (IANS) Sitting Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha MP from Basirhat constituency, Haji Nurul Islam, died at his residence on Wednesday afternoon.

The 61-year-old two-time MP was suffering from liver cancer for quite some time. He is survived by his wife Rashida Begum and four children.

He first got elected in 2009 from Basirhat as a Trinamool Congress candidate, but the party did not give him re-nomination in 2014 and 2019.

However, he was nominated again in the recently-concluded Lok Sabha polls.

He got elected by a massive margin of around 3.4 lakh votes defeating the face of the Sandeshkhali movement and the BJP’s candidate Rekha Patra.

However, Patra later filed a petition at the Calcutta High Court challenging the results.

Islam was elected from the Haroa Assembly constituency as the party legislator in 2016 and in 2021.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has issued a statement on her official X handle condoling the death of Islam.

“Sad to know of the demise of my valued colleague, our MP of Basirhat, Haji Sk. Nurul Islam. He was a dedicated social worker in a remote Sundarban area, and he worked hard for the uplift of poor people in a backward region. People of Basirhat will miss his leadership. I convey my condolences to his family, friends and colleagues,” the Chief Minister’s message read.

His close associates in the party said he was not in good health even when his name was announced as the party candidate from Basirhat this year.

“He had to be hospitalised a number of times since then and he could not even participate in a full- fledged campaign because of his ailments,” said a close associate of the deceased Lok Sabha MP.

Besides Kolkata, he was also treated by cancer specialists in Delhi and Mumbai.

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