Former chief minister of West Bengal and veteran CPIM leader Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee passed away at 8.20 am Thursday at his residence in Kolkata’s Palm Avenue.

• Buddhadeb, who had been suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease for some years, was 80. He is survived by his wife Mira and son Suchetan.
• It was in 2000 that he was made the chief minister when Jyoti Basu – the then longest serving chief minister in the country – stepped down due to his health.
• As CM, he led the Left Front to consecutive victories in the assembly polls in 2001 and 2006.
• He was known as a reformist among the Left, especially for trying to bring in industrialisation to the state.