Bengali filmmaker and former Trinamool Congress MLA Raj Chakraborty quits politics after losing Barrackpur seat to BJP candidate Kaustuv Bagchi, will return to filmmaking
Bengali filmmaker and former Trinamool Congress MLA Raj Chakraborty on Wednesday announced that he was quitting politics after losing the 2026 West Bengal assembly elections from Barrackpur.
Bengali filmmaker and former Trinamool Congress MLA Raj Chakraborty on Wednesday announced that he was quitting politics after losing the 2026 West Bengal assembly elections from Barrackpur.
In a social media post, Chakraborty thanked people who had supported him during his political journey and said he would now return to filmmaking. He also wished the incoming government success in running the state.
тАЬPolitics is not for me anymore,” Chakraborty said, adding that he wanted to focus on cinema and spend more time with his family. The director-turned-politician lost the Barrackpur seat to BJP candidate Kaustuv Bagchi by more than 15,000 votes in the assembly polls.
Raj Chakraborty had joined the Trinamool Congress ahead of the 2021 Bengal elections and won from Barrackpur that year. During his tenure as MLA, he remained active in Bengal politics while continuing his work in the film industry.
His announcement came days after the BJP swept the Bengal assembly elections, ending the TMCтАЩs 15-year rule in the state. The BJP won more than 207 seats in the 294-member assembly, while the TMC was reduced to around 80 seats.
Videos of Chakraborty leaving the counting centre after his defeat had also gone viral on social media earlier this week, showing crowds raising slogans against him.
West Bengal, India, India
Read More
