Daijiworld Media Network - Kolkata
Kolkata, Oct 7: The West Bengal government on Wednesday appointed veteran actor and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national executive member Mithun Chakraborty as special advisor to the Information and Cultural Affairs (I&CA) department.
Chakraborty will hold the rank of a cabinet minister, a state government official said. The appointment order was issued on Wednesday.
According to the official, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari had announced the decision during the birth centenary celebrations of Bengali cinema icon Uttam Kumar in September.
Chakraborty, 76, a former Bollywood superstar and one of Bengal's most prominent actors, joined the BJP at a rally in Kolkata on March 7, 2021, shortly before Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the gathering ahead of the state Assembly elections.
His entry into the BJP had triggered speculation that he could be projected as the party's chief ministerial candidate. However, he went on to serve primarily as a star campaigner for the party during the 2021 Assembly elections, the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and the latest state election in April.
Chakraborty had earlier entered Parliament as a Rajya Sabha member on a Trinamool Congress ticket in February 2014. He resigned from the Upper House in December 2016.
Chakraborty has not yet commented on his appointment.