Days after filmmaker and TMC candidate Raj Chakraborty lost to BJP’s Kaustav Bagchi in the West Bengal Assembly elections, he announced on Thursday his decision to step away from politics.
Chakrabarty, who contested the West Bengal Assembly elections from Barrackpore on a Trinamool Congress ticket, lost to BJP’s Kaustuv Bagchi by 15,822 votes.
Sharing a post on X, Chakrabarty wrote, “Whenever I have been given any responsibility in life, I have tried to fulfil it with sincerity and dedication. As a director, I have always tried to entertain people through my films.”
“In 2021, I stepped into politics and was given the opportunity to serve as an MLA. For the past five years, I tried to carry out my responsibilities in the same capacity. That chapter ends in 2026, and with it, my political journey also comes to a close,” he further said.
“The people of Bengal have given their mandate and a new government will take oath on May 9. I hope the state moves forward on the path of development,” Chakrabarty signed off.
Chakrabarty, who was the sitting MLA of Barrackpur, joined politics in 2021 when he joined TMC and won this seat from North 24 Parganas. Following the defeat, Bengali actress Subhashree Ganguly, wife of Chakrabarty, hailed him as her “pride, superstar and superhero”, a day after videos showing a crowd hurling mud and abuse at him went viral on social media.
On the work front, Chakrabarty’s latest directorial venture is the political thriller Hok Kolorob starring Saswata Chatterjee in the lead role.
Recently, Chakrabarty made his Hindi-series directorial debut with Ziddi Ishq, an adaptation of his 2019 Bengali film Parineeta. The show, now streaming on JioHotstar, stars Parambrata Chattopadhyay and Aaditi Pohankar in key roles.