Trinamool MP, who defeated BJP’s Rekha Patra in Bengal’s Basirhat, dies at 61

Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP from Basirhat, Haji Nurul Islam, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 61. He had been undergoing treatment for liver cancer in private hospitals in Delhi and Kolkata and died at his home in the afternoon. He contested against BJP’s Rekha Patra in Basirhat and won the constituency.
Haji Nurul Islam joined the Trinamool Congress in January 1998, shortly after the party’s formation. He served as a member of the Bahera Gram Panchayat Samiti from 2003 to 2008 and then became a member of the North 24 Parganas District Council in 2008.
In 2009, he was elected as the MP from Basirhat on a TMC ticket. However, in 2014, his constituency was changed to Jangipur, where he lost the election.
In 2016, Nurul Islam was elected as the MLA from Haroa in North 24 Parganas and won the seat again in the 2021 Assembly elections. He also secured a victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, reclaiming his Basirhat seat by a large margin. However, in recent months, his health deteriorated, and he had to be hospitalised multiple times before passing away at home.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her sorrow over his death, sharing her condolences on her X handle. She wrote, “Saddened by the demise of my important colleague and Basirhat MP Haji Nurul Islam. He was a dedicated social worker from the remote Sundarbans region and worked tirelessly for the upliftment of the poor in this backward area. The people of Basirhat will miss his leadership. My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues.”