Chandranath Rath Had Served Nearly 20 Years in Air Force Before Joining Suvendu Adhikari’s Team

Chandranath Rath was shot dead in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district by motorcycle-borne assailants. Rath had travelled one of the most unusual paths - from serving in the Indian Air Force to becoming BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari's most trusted political associate. He hailed from Chandipur in Purba Medinipur district, the political turf that shaped Adhikari’s rise in Bengal politics. Chandranath Rath was soft-spoken and low-profile, he remained largely away from public attention despite being part of Adhikari’s inner circle for years, reported PTI. Rath had completed his studies at Rahara Ramakrishna Mission and had spent nearly two decades in the Indian Air Force. He took voluntary retirement from the Air Force, and briefly worked in the corporate

sector before gradually moving into political coordination and administrative responsibilities.Read More - Who Was Chandra Nath Rath? Suvendu Adhikari's Close Aide Shot Dead In West Bengal Post-Poll ViolencePeople close to the family said he had once considered a spiritual life and was deeply influenced by the Ramakrishna Mission ethos during his student years, the report said.Just like Suvendu Adhikari's family, Rath's family had also been earlier associated with teh Trinamool Congress. Rath's mother, Hasi Rath, had held a position in a local panchayat body in Purba Medinipur during the TMC years before shifting allegiance to the BJP along with Adhikari in 2020. Rath formally became part of Adhikari’s official team around 2019, when the latter was serving as a minister in the Mamata Banerjee government. He initially handled responsibilities linked to Adhikari’s ministerial office and later continued in a similar role after Adhikari crossed over to the BJP.Over the years, Rath emerged as a key backroom figure in Adhikari’s political operations. He coordinated organisational work, managed logistics and maintained communication with party workers, the report said. He enjoyed Adhikari's complete confidence and was assigned sensitive tasks like campaign management and political coordination.Notably, he was also part of the core team during several high-voltage political battles, including the BJP’s Bhabanipur campaign. (With PTI Inputs)