Sudhir Chandra Das

Das left the Indian National Congress in 1950 and joined the Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party. He obtained 11,830 votes (35.32%), defeating the candidates of the Indian National Congress, the Communist Party of India, the Bharatiya Jan Sangh and the Socialist Party. ==PSP leader==

He later became a key leader of the Praja Socialist Party. Das won the Contai South seat in the 1962 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election, obtaining 22,565 votes (51.06%). He retained the seat in the 1967 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election, obtaining 26,089 votes (51.04%). He again won the Contai South seat in the 1969 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election, obtaining 29,776 votes (57.07%). In all of the elections 1957–1969, the contests in Contai South were essentially straight contests between PSP and the Indian National Congress (in the sense that no other candidate obtained more than 5% of the vote). ==Minister==

On 9 May 1969 Das, leading a dissident faction of the Praja Socialist Party, was sworn in as Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Minister in the second United Front government of West Bengal. Das retained the Contai South seat in the 1971 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election, again standing on a PSP ticket but now facing opposition not just from the Indian National Congress but also the CPI(M) (former United Front partner) and the Congress(O). Das was named Minister for Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services (including Zoological Gardens) in the cabinet formed by Ajoy Mukherjee (a coalition of Bangla Congress-INC-Indian Union Muslim League-Rebel Samyukta Socialist Party and Das' rebel PSP – Democratic Socialist Consolidation). ==Later years==

Das retained the Contai South seat in the 1972 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election, contesting on an independent ticket. He obtained 20,001 votes (43.90%), defeating the candidates of Congress(O) and CPI(M). Das became a prominent member of the Indian National Congress. He ran on an independent ticket, finishing in second place with 4,556 votes (10.26%). ==References==