Former Rajya Sabha MP and journalist Chandan Mitra passed away on Wednesday night, his son Kushan Mitra has told news agency ANI. "Since it is already out there; Dad passed away late last night. He had been suffering for a while," Kushan Mitra tweeted on Thursday morning. Chandan Mitra was 66.
"Shri Chandan Mitra Ji will be remembered for his intellect and insights. He distinguished himself in the world of media as well as politics. Anguished by his demise. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti," PM Modi tweeted.
Mourning the demise of Chandan Mitra, Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta took to Twitter and said that he lost the closest friend. Posting a photo from a school trip in 1972, Dasgupta wrote, "I lost my closest friend—editor of Pioneer & former MP Chandan Mitra—this morning. We were together as students of La Martiniere & went on to St Stephen’s & Oxford. We joined journalism at the same time & shared the excitement of Ayodhya & the saffron wave."
{{/usCountry}}Mourning the demise of Chandan Mitra, Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta took to Twitter and said that he lost the closest friend. Posting a photo from a school trip in 1972, Dasgupta wrote, "I lost my closest friend—editor of Pioneer & former MP Chandan Mitra—this morning. We were together as students of La Martiniere & went on to St Stephen’s & Oxford. We joined journalism at the same time & shared the excitement of Ayodhya & the saffron wave."
{{/usCountry}}Chandan Mitra was the managing director of Delhi-based The Pioneer till June this year.
Mitra is survived by his wife and two sons.
Chandan Mitra began his political career in 2003 when he was nominated as a Rajya Sabha member. In 2010, he was elected to another term in the Rajya Sabha as a BJP MP from Madhya Pradesh. In 2018, he joined the All Indi Trinamool Congress.
Chandan Mitra went to La Martuinuere school in Calcutta and then attended Delhi's St Stephen's. From there, he went to Oxford University for his higher studies.
In his illustrious journalistic career, he worked with The Statesman, The Times of India, The Sunday Observer, the Hindustan Times, before joining The Pioneer.
As tributes started pouring in for Chandan Mitra, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor fondly remembered his campaign manager in the election for St Stephen's College Union Society. "Deeply saddened by this news. Chandan was my campaign manager in my successful race to be President of the St Stephen’s College Union Society, served in my Cabinet and succeeded me. We remained in touch over the years, ironically till I returned to Delhi& politics separated us. RIP," Tharoor tweeted.