| Election Name: | 1969 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election |
| Country: | Bharat |
| Type: | Legislative |
| Previous Election: | 1967 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election |
| Previous Year: | 1967 |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Next Election: | 1971 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election |
| Next Year: | 1971 |
| Election Date: | 9 February 1969 |
| Seats For Election: | All 280 seats in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly |
| Party1: | Communist Party of India (Marxist) |
| Leader1: | Jyoti Basu |
| Leaders Seat1: | Baranagar |
| Alliance1: | UF |
| Seats1: | 80 |
| Last Election1: | 18.10%, 43 seats |
| Seat Change1: | 37 |
| Party2: | Indian National Congress |
| Leader2: | Prafulla Chandra Sen |
| Leaders Seat2: | Arambagh |
| Seats2: | 55 |
| Last Election2: | 41.1%, 127 seats |
| Seat Change2: | 72 |
| Party3: | Bangla Congress |
| Leader3: | Ajoy Mukherjee |
| Leaders Seat3: | Tamluk Arambag |
| Alliance3: | UF |
| Seats3: | 33 |
| Last Election3: | 10.16%, 34 seats |
| Seat Change3: | 1 |
| Chief Minister | |
| Before Election: | President's rule |
| After Election: | Ajoy Kumar Mukherjee |
| After Party: | Bangla Congress |
| Majority Seats: | 141 |
| Outgoing Members: | 1967 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election#Elected members |
| Elected Members: | 1969 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election#Elected members |
| Leader Since1: | 1964 |
| Percentage1: | 20.0% |
| Popular Vote1: | 2,676,981 |
| Leader Since2: | 1962 |
| Popular Vote2: | 5,538,622 |
| Percentage2: | 41.3% |
| Leader Since3: | 1967 |
| Percentage3: | 8.2% |
| Popular Vote3: | 1,094,654 |
| Swing1: | 1.9 pp |
| Swing2: | 0.2 pp |
| Swing3: | 1.9 pp |
| Turnout: | 66.51% |
Elections were held in Indian state of West Bengal in February 1969 to elect 280 members to the West Bengal Legislative Assembly.[1] [2] United Front formed the government with Ajoy Mukherjee as the Chief Minister. United Front won a landslide 214 seats and 49.7% of the votes.[3]
In the previous assembly election, the Indian National Congress was defeated due to unpopularity of state PCC chief Bijoy Singh Nahar's autocratic style of functioning & chief minister Prafulla Chandra Sen's unpopular decision of implementing food rationing in the state to handle the food crisis caused by famine in the state. The first non-Congress government was formed on 1 March 1967 with Ajoy Mukherjee of Bangla Congress from the United Front (also consisting of CPI, AIFB & BPI) as the chief-minister & Jyoti Basu of CPI(M) from the United Left Front (also consisting of RSP, SUCI(C), SSP, MFB, WPI & RCPI) as the deputy chief minister. However, the coalition government soon fell apart due to the demand of land reforms raised by the Land Minister, CPI(M) leader Hare Krishna Konar, which threatened the rural landed-gentry support-base of the Bangla Congress & legalisation of gherao policy by Labour Minister, SUCI(C) leader Subodh Banerjee. Frequent strikes & assaulting of big businessmen and industrialists by Communist labour unions was causing them to gradually shift their operations out of the state. In spite of requests from industries minister, Bangla Congress leader Sushil Kumar Dhara, deputy chief-minister Basu refused to remove Banerjee from the labour ministry on grounds of CPI(M)'s ideological similarities with SUCI(C). So, Mukherjee himself sat on a hunger strike at Curzon Park (renamed as Surendranath Park) just in front of Writer's Building, the state secretariat building, demanding Banerjee's resignation. However, there he was heckled by cadres of CPI(M) & SUCI(C).[4]
There were further differences within the government over CPI(M)'s initial soft approach towards Naxalbari uprising on grounds of CPI(M)'s ideological similarities & shared adoration for Mao Zedong with the rebels. CPI(M) also organised strikes demanding the resignation of the Food Minister, independent MLA Prafulla Chandra Ghosh over his poor handling of the food crisis.
In midst of these events, Ghosh formed his own party 'Progressive Democratic Front' with 16 elected members of the Bangla Congress & sent a letter to the Governor Dharma Vira laying claim to the government with the support of the Congress. The Governor dissolved the Ajoy Mukherjee-Jyoti Basu led government without conducting a no-trust vote in the Legislative Assembly & sworn in Ghosh as the new chief minister on 21 November 1967. Mukherjee & Basu put aside their differences & together organised protests against Ghosh's government, leading to increasing political violence between the cadres of CPI(M) & Congress. In midst of the food crisis & escalating political violence among political parties and that between Naxalites & others in the state, President's Rule had to be introduced on 20 February 1968, following which, the previous legislative assembly was dissolved.[5]
| Constituency | Reserved for (SC/ST/None) | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mekliganj | None | Amarendra Nath Roy Prouhan | ||
| Mathabhanga | SC | Birendra Nath Roy | ||
| Cooch Behar West | SC | Prasenjit Barman | ||
| Sitai | None | Md. Fazle Haque | ||
| Dinhata | None | Animesh Mukharjee | ||
| Cooch Behar North | None | Bimal Kanti Basu | ||
| Cooch Behar South | None | Santosh Kumar Roy | ||
| Tufanganj | SC | Akshay Kumar Barma | ||
| Kumargram | None | Pijish Kanti Mukherjee | ||
| Kalchini | ST | Denis Lakra | ||
| Alipurduars | None | Nani Bhattacharya | ||
| Falakata | SC | Jagadananda Roy | ||
| Madarihat | ST | A . H . Besterwitcoh | ||
| Dhupguri | None | Anildhar Guma Neogi | ||
| Nagrakata | ST | Budhu Bhagat | ||
| Mainaguri | SC | Jajneswar Ray | ||
| Mal | ST | Antoni Topno | ||
| Jalpaiguri | None | Nares Chandra Chakravorty | ||
| Rajganj | SC | Kiran Chandra Roy | ||
| Kalimpong | None | P . L . Subba | ||
| Darjeeling | None | Deo Prakash Rai | ||
| Jore Bungalow | None | Nandalal Gurung | ||
| Siliguri | None | Prem Thapa | ||
| Phansidewa | ST | Iswar Chandra Tirkey | ||
| Chopra | None | Choudhury Abdul Karim | ||
| Goalpokhar | None | Mohamad Salimuddin | ||
| Karandighi | None | Suresh Chandra Sinha | ||
| Raiganj | None | Manash Roy | ||
| Kaliaganj | SC | Barman Syama Prasad | ||
| Itahar | None | Abedin Zainal | ||
| Kushmandi | SC | Jatindra Mohan Roy | ||
| Gangarampur | None | Ahindra Sarkar | ||
| Kumarganj | None | Abinash Basu | ||
| Balurghat | None | Mukal Basu | ||
| Tapan | ST | Nathaniel Murmu | ||
| Habibpur | ST | Nimai Chand Murmu | ||
| Gajol | ST | Lakshan Saren | ||
| Kharba | None | Golam Yazdani | ||
| Harishchandrapur | None | Md. Elias Razi | ||
| Ratua | None | Mohammad Ali | ||
| Malda | None | Md. Gafurur Rahaman | ||
| Englishbazar | None | Bimal Kanti Das | ||
| Manikchak | None | Arun Chandra Jha | ||
| Suzapur | None | A . B . A . G . Khan Choudhry | ||
| Kaliachak | None | Shamsuddin Ahmad | ||
| Farakka | None | Sk. Sahadat Hossain | ||
| Suti | None | Md. Sohorab | ||
| Jangipur | None | Abdul Haque | ||
| Sagardighi | SC | Kuber Chand Haldar | ||
| Lalgola | None | Abdus Sattar | ||
| Bhagabangola | None | Sailendra Nath Adhicary | ||
| Nabagram | None | Birendra Narayan Roy | ||
| Murshidabad | None | Mohammad Idris Ali | ||
| Jalangi | None | Azizur Rahman | ||
| Domkal | None | Biswas Ekram-ul - Haque | ||
| Naoda | None | Khan Nasiruddin | ||
| Hariharpara | None | Ahammad Aktabuddin | ||
| Berhampore | None | Sanat Kumar Raha | ||
| Beldanga | None | Muhammed Khuda Bukhsh | ||
| Kandi | None | Kumar J . C . Sinha | ||
| Khargram | SC | Kumarish Chandra Moulick | ||
| Barwan | None | Amalendra Lal Ray | ||
| Bharatpur | None | Satyapada Bhattacharyya | ||
| Karimpur | None | Nalinaksha Sanyal | ||
| Tehatta | None | Surat Ali Khan | ||
| Kaliganj | None | S . M . Fazlur Rahman | ||
| Nakashipara | SC | Nil Kamal Sarkar | ||
| Chapra | None | Salil Behari Hundle | ||
| Nabadwip | None | Sachnidra Mohan Nandy | ||
| Krishnagar West | None | Amritendu Mukherjee | ||
| Krishnagar East | None | Kashi Kanta Maitra | ||
| Hanskhali | SC | Charuminir Sarkar | ||
| Santipur | None | M. Makshed Ali | ||
| Ranaghat West | None | Kundu Gourchandra | ||
| Ranaghat East | SC | Nitaipada Sarkar | ||
| Chakdah | None | Subal Chandra Mandal | ||
| Haringhata | None | Baksh Mohammad Karin | ||
| Bagdaha | SC | Apurba Lal Majumdar | ||
| Bongaon | None | Ajit Kumar Ganguly | ||
| Gaighata | None | Parul Saha | ||
| Ashokenagar | None | Sadhan Kumar Sen | ||
| Barasat | None | Saral Deb | ||
| Rajarhat | SC | Rabindra Nath Mondal | ||
| Deganga | None | Harun - Or - Rashid | ||
| Habra | None | Tarun Kanti Ghosh | ||
| Swarupnagar | None | Jaminiranjan Sen | ||
| Baduria | None | Mir Abdus Sayeed | ||
| Basirhat | None | A.b. Bandyopadhyaya | ||
| Hasnabad | None | Abdur Razzaque Khan | ||
| Hingalganj | SC | Hazari Lal Mondal | ||
| Gosaba | SC | Ganesh Chandra Mondal | ||
| Sandeshkhali | ST | Sarat Sardar | ||
| Haroa | SC | Brajendra Nath Sarkar | ||
| Basanti | None | Ashoke Chaudhuri | ||
| Canning | SC | Naryan Naskar | ||
| Kultali | SC | Prabodh Purkait | ||
| Joynagar | None | Subodh Banerjee | ||
| Baruipur | SC | Kumud Ranjan Mondal | ||
| Sonarpur | SC | Gangadhar Naskar | ||
| Bhangar | None | A.k.m. Ishaque | ||
| Jadavpur | None | Bikesh Chandra Guha | ||
| Behala East | None | Niranjan Mukherjee | ||
| Behala West | None | Rabin Mukherjee | ||
| Garden Reach | None | Arun Sen | ||
| Maheshtola | None | Sudhir Chandra Bhandari | ||
| Budge Budge | None | Khiti Bhusan Roy Barman | ||
| Bishnupur West | None | Provash Chandra Roy | ||
| Bishnupur East | SC | Sundar Kumar Haskar | ||
| Falta | None | Jyotish Roy | ||
| Diamond Harbour | None | Abdul Quiyom Molla | ||
| Magrahat East | SC | Radhika Rajan Pramanik | ||
| Magrahat West | None | Sachindranath Mondal | ||
| Kulpi | SC | Murari Mohan Halder | ||
| Mathurapur | SC | Renupada Halder | ||
| Patharpratima | None | Rabin Mondal | ||
| Kakdwip | None | Hansadhwaj Dhara | ||
| Sagar | None | Gobardhan Dingal | ||
| Bijpur | None | Jagadish Chandra Das | ||
| Naihati | None | Gopal Basu | ||
| Bhatpara | None | Sitaram Gupta | ||
| Noapara | None | Jamini Bhuson Saha | ||
| Titagarh | None | Mohammed Amin | ||
| Khardah | None | Sadhan Kumar Chakraborty | ||
| Panihati | None | G.k. Bhattacharyya | ||
| Kamarhati | None | Radhika Ranjan Banerjee | ||
| Baranagar | None | Jyoti Basu | ||
| Dum Dum | None | Tarun Kumar Sen Gupta | ||
| Cossipur | None | Basu Vishnugopal | ||
| Shampukur | None | Basu Hemanta Kumar | ||
| Jorabagan | None | Roy Nepal Chandra | ||
| Jorasanko | None | Deokinandan Poddar | ||
| Bara Bazar | None | Saraogi Ram Krishna | ||
| Bow Bazar | None | Bijoy Singh Nahar | ||
| Chowringhee | None | Ray Siddhartha Shankar | ||
| Kabitirtha | None | Kalimuddin Shams | ||
| Alipore | None | Mani Sanyal | ||
| Kalighat | None | Sadhan Gupta | ||
| Rashbehari Avenue | None | Bejoy Kumar Banerjee | ||
| Tollygunge | None | Niranjan Sen Gupta | ||
| Dhakuria | None | Somnath Lahiri | ||
| Ballygunge | None | Jyotibhusan Bhattacharya | ||
| Beliaghata South | None | Manranjan Baral | ||
| Entally | None | A.m.o. Ghani | ||
| Taltola | None | Abul Hassan | ||
| Sealdah | None | Jatin Chakravorty | ||
| Vidyasagar | None | Samar Kumar Pudra | ||
| Beliaghata North | None | Krishnapada Ghosh | ||
| Manicktola | None | Ila Mitra | ||
| Burtola | None | Nikhil Das | ||
| Belgachia | None | Lakshmicharan Sen | ||
| Bally | None | Patit Paban Pathak | ||
| Howrah North | None | Nirmal Kumar Mukherjee | ||
| Howrah Central | None | Anadi Das | ||
| Howrah South | None | Pralay Talukdar | ||
| Panchla | None | Kanai Lal Bhattacharyya | ||
| Domjur | None | Joykesh Mukherjee | ||
| Jagatballavpur | None | Tarapada Dey | ||
| Panchla | None | Bibhuti Bhushin Ghosh | ||
| Sankrail | SC | Haran Chandra Hazra | ||
| Uluberia North | SC | Kalipada Mondal | ||
| Uluberia South | None | Biswanath Das Ghose | ||
| Shyampur | None | Sasabindu Bora | ||
| Bangnan | None | Nirupama Chatterjee | ||
| Kalyanpur | None | Sunil Kumar Mitra | ||
| Amta | None | Nitai Bhandari | ||
| Udaynarayanpur | None | Panna Lal Maji | ||
| Jangipara | None | Maninda Nath Jana | ||
| Chanditala | None | Mohamed Abdul Latif | ||
| Uttarapara | None | Monoranjan Hazra | ||
| Serampore | None | Panchugopal Bhaduri | ||
| Champdani | None | Haripada Mukherjee | ||
| Chandernagore | None | Bhabani Mukehjee | ||
| Singur | None | Gopal Bandopadhaya | ||
| Haripal | None | Amales Chadra Hazumdar | ||
| Chinsurah | None | Sambhu Charan Bhose | ||
| Polba | None | Brajo Gopal Neogy | ||
| Balagarh | SC | Hbinash Pramanik | ||
| Pandua | None | Deb Narayan Chakrabarty | ||
| Dhaniakhali | SC | Kripa Sindhu Saha | ||
| Tarakeswar | None | Ram Chatterjee | ||
| Pursurah | None | Santi Mohun Roy | ||
| Khanakul | SC | Madan Saha | ||
| Arambagh | None | Prafulla Chandra Sen | ||
| Goghat | SC | Ajit Kumar Biswas | ||
| Chandrakona | None | Saroshi Choudhury | ||
| Ghatal | SC | Nanda Rani Dal | ||
| Daspur | None | Mrigendra Bhattacharjya | ||
| Panskura West | None | Ahindra Mishra | ||
| Panskura East | None | Geeta Mukhopadhyay | ||
| Moyna | None | Kanai Bhowmick | ||
| Tamluk | None | Ajoy Kumar Mikhopadhyay | ||
| Mahishadal | None | Sushil Kumar Dhara | ||
| Sutahata | SC | Harahari Deb | ||
| Nandigram | None | Bhupal Chandra Panda | ||
| Narghat | None | Subodh Chandra Maity | ||
| Bhagabanpur | None | Maity Abha | ||
| Khajuri | SC | Das Paresh | ||
| Contai North | None | Subodh Gopal Guchhait | ||
| Contai South | None | Das Sudhir | ||
| Ramnagar | None | Balailal Das Mahapatra | ||
| Egra | None | Pahati Bibhuti | ||
| Mugberia | None | Roy Chaudhury Biswabrata | ||
| Pataspur | None | K.d. Mahapatra | ||
| Pingla | None | Gouranga Samanta | ||
| Debra | None | Bijoy Krishna Samanta | ||
| Keshpur | SC | Gangapada Kuar | ||
| Garhbeta East | SC | Krishna Prasad Duley | ||
| Garhbeta West | None | Roy Soroj | ||
| Salbani | None | Amulya Ratan Mahata | ||
| Midnapur | None | Kamakhya Charan Ghosh | ||
| Kharagpur | None | Gan Singh Sohanpal | ||
| Kharagpur Local | None | Deben Das | ||
| Narayangarh | None | Laha Mihirkumar | ||
| Dantan | None | Debendra Nath Das | ||
| Keshiari | ST | Budhan Chandra Tudu | ||
| Nayagarm | ST | Hansda Jagatrati | ||
| Gopiballavpur | None | Kar Dhananjoy | ||
| Jhargram | None | De Panchkari | ||
| Binpur | ST | Saren Joyram | ||
| Banduan | ST | Budheswar Majhi | ||
| Manbazar | None | Girish Mahato | ||
| Balarampur | ST | Gobardhan Majhi | ||
| Arsa | None | Dahan Chandra Kuiri | ||
| Jhalda | None | Debendra Nath Mahata | ||
| Jaipur | None | Ram Krishna Mahato | ||
| Purulia | None | Bibhuti Bhusan Das Gupta | ||
| Para | SC | Tinkori Bouri | ||
| Raghunathpur | SC | Hari Pado Bouri | ||
| Kashipur | None | Prabir Kumar Mallick | ||
| Hura | None | Saharendra Ojha | ||
| Taldangra | None | Mohini Mohan Panda | ||
| Raipur | ST | Bhabatosh Soren | ||
| Ranibandh | ST | Suchand Saren | ||
| Indpur | SC | Gour Lohar | ||
| Chhatna | None | Singh Sudarson | ||
| Gangajalghati | SC | Mandal Nabadurga | ||
| Barjora | None | Aswini Kumar Raj | ||
| Bankura | None | Bireswar Ghosh | ||
| Onda | None | Anil Kumar Mukherjee | ||
| Vishnupur | None | Sasthidas Sarkar | ||
| Kotulpur | None | Niranjan Bhadra | ||
| Indas | SC | Abani Kumar Saha | ||
| Sonamukhi | SC | Sukhendu Khan | ||
| Hirapur | None | Bamapada Mukherjee | ||
| Kulti | None | Tarak Nath Chakraborty | ||
| Barabani | None | Sunil Basu Roy | ||
| Asansol | None | Lokes Ghosh | ||
| Raniganj | None | Haradhan Roy | ||
| Jamuria | SC | Amarendra Mondal | ||
| Ukhra | SC | Lakhan Bagdi | ||
| Durgapur | None | Dilip Kumar Mazumdar | ||
| Faridpur | None | Manoranjan Baksi | ||
| Ausgram | SC | Krishna Chandra Halder | ||
| Bhatar | None | Aswini Roy | ||
| Galsi | None | Phakir Chandra Roy | ||
| Burdwan North | None | Debarata Datta | ||
| Burdwan South | None | Benoy Krishna Choudhuri | ||
| Khandaghosh | SC | Gobardhan Pakray | ||
| Raina | None | Guha Panchu Gopal | ||
| Jamalpur | SC | Basudeb Malik | ||
| Memari | None | Konar Benoy Krishna | ||
| Kalna | None | Hare Krishna Konar | ||
| Nadanghat | None | S. Abdul Mansur Habibullah | ||
| Manteswar | None | K.n. Hazra Choudhury | ||
| Purbasthali | None | Mollah Humayun Kabir | ||
| Katwa | None | Thakur Nityananda | ||
| Mangalkot | None | Nikhilananda Sar | ||
| Ketugram | SC | Ramgati Mondal | ||
| Nanur | SC | Banamali Das | ||
| Bolpur | None | Pannalal Das Gupta | ||
| Labhpur | None | Radhanath Chttoraj | ||
| Dubrajpur | None | Bhakti Bhusan Mondal | ||
| Rajnagar | SC | Siddheswar Mandal | ||
| Suri | None | Protiva Mukherjee | ||
| Mahammad Bazar | None | Dwarika Prasonna Roy | ||
| Mayureswar | SC | Panchanan Let | ||
| Rampurhat | None | Sasanka Sekhar Mongal | ||
| Hansan | SC | Mondal Mrityunjoy | ||
| Nalhati | None | Golam Mamiuddin | ||
| Murarai | None | Bazle Ahmad | ||