Biographical Sketch
Member of Parliament
12th Lok Sabha
PANJA, SHRI AJIT KUMAR
[WEST BENGAL TRINAMOOL CONGRESS - CALCUTTA NORTH EAST (WEST BENGAL)]
Father's Name Late Dr. Dhanapati Panja
Date of Birth 13 September 1936
Place of Birth Calcutta (West Bengal)
Marital Status Widower (Married on 11 August 1960)
Spouse's Name Late Prof. Jaya Panja
Children One son and one daughter
Educational Qualifications
B.A., Bar-at-Law
Educated at Scottish Church College, Calcutta
University, Calcutta (West Bengal), Lincoln's Inn,
London (U.K.)
Profession
Lawyer, Political and Social Worker
Permanent Address
250, Chittaranjan Avenue, Calcutta-700006
(West Bengal)
Tels. (033) 2412525, 2411525
Fax. 2310199
Present Address
17, Windsor Place,
New Delhi-110001
Tel. (011) 3782057
Fax (011) 3782436
Positions Held
1971,1972-77 Member, West Bengal Legislative Assembly
and 1982-85
1971-72 Cabinet Minister, Judiciary and Parliamentary
Affairs (IndiaPress), West Bengal
1972-77 Cabinet Minister, Health and Family Planning and
Water Supply, Calcutta Corporation, Municipal Affairs
and Forests Development, West Bengal
Chairman, Jhargram Development Board
1973 Member, All India Congress Committee (A.I.C.C.)
onwards
1977 President, District Congress Committee (D.C.C.) (I),
North Calcutta, West Bengal
1980-81 President, Pradesh Congress Committee (P.C.C.)(I),
West Bengal
1984 Elected to 8th Lok Sabha
1985-86 Union Minister of State, Planning
1986 Union Minister of State, Food and Civil Supplies
1986-88 Union Minister of State, Information and Broadcasting
(Independent Charge)
1988-89 Union Minister of State, Finance
1989 Re-elected to 9th Lok Sabha (2nd term)
1990 Member, Committee of Privileges
Member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Finance
1990-91 Member, Committee on Public Accounts
Member, Informal Consultative Committee, Railway Zone
1991 Re-elected to 10th Lok Sabha (3rd term)
1991-93 Union Minister of State, Information and
Broadcasting (Independent Charge)
1993-95 Union Minister of State, Coal (Independent Charge)
1996 Re-elected to 11th Lok Sabha (4th term)
1996-97 Member, Committee on Energy
Member, Business Advisory Committee
1998 Re-elected to 12th Lok Sabha (5th term)
Chief Whip, West Bengal Trinamool Congress
Parliamentary Party
1998-99 Member, Committee on Industry
Member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of
Urban Affairs and Employment
1999 Chairman, West Bengal Trinamool Congress
Books Published
(i) Encephalitis Attack in West Bengal; (ii) CPM Gun Shoot to
Kill (English and Bengali); (iii) Ganatantra Hatya (Bengali);
(iv) Siksha Khethre Nairajya (Bengali); (v) Sansad Bichitra
(Bengali); (vi) PM (Sh. V.P. Singh) Challenged to Prove
Charges (English); (vii) Dunkel Agreement (Bengali);
(viii)Unemployment Problems in India How to solve it(Bengali);
(ix) Era of Excellence of Narasimha Rao Government 4th Year-
Major Achievements and Decisions (English, Hindi, Urdu and
Bengali); and (x)Mining Medicines Hand Book for Health Workers
and Mine Workers
Social and Cultural Activities
Engaged in social work for the poor, needy and physically
handicapped; connected with several social organisations for the
welfare of minority communities, scheduled castes, scheduled
tribes and the downtrodden
Special Interests
Reading story books for children, singing and writing
Favourite Pastime and Recreation
Reading, listening to music, gardening and Singing
Sports and Clubs
Member (i) Mohan Bagan Club; (ii) Calcutta Club; (iii) East
Bengal Club; and (iv) Aiykya Saminilani Football Club
Countries Visited
Widely travelled; Member, PM's Delegation to Australia, Indonesia,
New Zealand and Thailand, October 1986; Leader, (i) Delegation
to Bhutan, November, 1986; (ii) Delegation to International
Film Festival at Mauritius and Moscow, 1987 and July 1991;
(iii) Delegation to Information Ministers of SAARC Countries
Conference at Harare, June, 1987; (iv) Delegation to Burma
and Thailand in July 1988; (v) Delegation to the Film Segment
of the Festival of India, Berlin, 1991; (vi) Parliamentary
Delegation to U.K., France and Germany to evaluate the
Parliamentary Broadcasting System in Parliament House, June 1992;
(vii) Delegation to Germany in September, 1993; and (viii) High
Power Delegation for establishing bilateral relations in the
field of Coal Industries, China, 1994
Other Information
Member, Supreme Court Bar Association and High Court Bar Association
Election Result of
Calcutta North East Lok Sabha Constituency
Total electorate 9,10,738
Total votes polled 6,68,942
Votes polled in favour of the first four leading candidates
(1) Shri Ajit Kumar Panja (W.B.T.C.) 3,10,361
(2) Shri Prasanta Chatterjee [C.P.I.(M)]2,45,489
(3) Shri Sadhan Pande (I.N.C.) 94,024
(4) Shri Ajit Das (Ind.) 1,986
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