All you need to know about Soumen Mitra, the West Bengal Congress chief who died, aged 78

West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee President Soumen Mitra passed away early Thursday.

Mitra, a 7-time MLA and 1-time MP, was 78 years old.

In a tweet, the West Bengal Congress said, "WBPCC President Somen Mitra has breathed his last, a short while ago. As we struggle to come to terms with this immense loss, all our prayers and thoughts are with Dada’s family. May his soul rest in peace."

Mitra took charge of the grand old party in 2018, and played a crucial role in forging an electoral understanding between the Congress and the Left during the 2019 General Elections.

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A popular leader, who rose to prominence in the 1970s, Mitra became MLA for the first time in 1972 from Sealdah from where he contested on seven occasions i.e. 35 years. In 2008, he left the Congress, floated his own party and even joined the Trinamool Congress a year later.

He represented Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha Seat between 2009 and 2014 as part of UPA-2 where he was part of the Trinamool. He quit the party in 2014 and returned to the Congress.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also paid tributes to Mitra.