Former Tripura Minister and Senior Congress Leader Kalidas Datta Passes Away

By  Firstdespatch Desk   May 18, 2026

Agartala, May 18 (FD) Former Tripura minister and senior Congress leader Kalidas Datta passed away on Sunday evening following a sudden cardiac arrest. He was 80.

According to family sources, Datta suffered a massive cardiac arrest at his residence in Dharmanagar and was immediately rushed to a local hospital. However, despite efforts by doctors, he breathed his last in the evening. He is survived by his wife and children.

His demise has cast a shadow of grief among Congress workers and supporters in Dharmanagar and across North Tripura district. Several party leaders and supporters, including senior Congress leader Chayan Bhattacharjee, visited the hospital and later his residence to pay their last respects. He was cremated in Dharmanagar on Sunday night.

Sources said that Kalidas Datta was elected to the Tripura Legislative Assembly as a Congress candidate in 1988. He later served as Minister of State in the Congress-TUJS coalition government headed by former Chief Minister Samir Ranjan Barman between 1992 and 1993.

Known for maintaining a clean public image, Datta earned respect among voters and political circles for staying away from controversies during his tenure as MLA and minister.

In later years, he gradually withdrew from active politics amid growing factionalism within the Congress in Dharmanagar and other parts of the state. Over the past year, he had been suffering from age-related ailments.

With his passing, many party workers believe that an important chapter of Congress politics in Dharmanagar has come to an end. FD JK