, known for her strong roots in student){kind=link}
CPI(M) leader Minakshi Mukherjee emerges as a key contender in Uttarpara, facing BJP and TMC rivals
April 26, 2026: Minakshi Mukherjee has emerged as a prominent young leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), known for her strong roots in student and youth activism. Rising through the ranks of the Students’ Federation of India, she built her political identity around education issues, student rights, and grassroots mobilisation. In the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, she is contesting from Uttarpara in Hooghly district, where she faces a tough three-cornered contest.
Mukherjee began her political journey with the Students’ Federation of India and later joined the Democratic Youth Federation of India in 2008. Her rise within the organisation was swift, and in 2018 she became the West Bengal state president of DYFI while also entering the CPI(M) state committee. She gained wider attention after contesting the 2021 Assembly elections from Nandigram against heavyweight leaders Mamata Banerjee and Suvendu Adhikari as part of the Left-Congress-ISF alliance.
Known for her activism, Mukherjee played a key role in several protests, including the 2021 Nabanna Abhijan demanding jobs, which saw clashes with police. In October 2021, she became the first woman state secretary of DYFI and continued to lead movements on issues like the Anish Khan case in 2022 and the 2024 Left Front rally. In the current Uttarpara contest, she faces BJP candidate Dipanjan Chakraborty and TMC’s Kanchak Mallick, making the seat a closely watched triangular battle in West Bengal politics.