Sumitra Chattopadhyay, a fifth-generation descendant of littérateur Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, on Thursday (February 26, 2026) joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The development comes ahead of Assembly elections in West Bengal when the BJP is highlighting the contribution of Chattopadhyay and the song Vande Mataram written by him.Mr. Chattopadhyay, a former official with the State Labour Department, was formally welcomed into the party by BJP State president Samik Bhattacharya and Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav.
