From Air Force To Corporate And Politics: Who Was Suvendu Adhikari’s Trusted Aide Chandranath Rath?

Chandranath Rath, a 41-year-old aide to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, was shot dead in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district. Rath hailed from Chandipur in Purba Medinipur district and studied at Rahara Ramakrishna Mission. He served in the Indian Air Force for nearly two decades before taking voluntary retirement and briefly working in the corporate sector. Rath joined Adhikari's team around 2019 and handled responsibilities linked to Adhikari's ministerial office. After Adhikari switched to the BJP, Rath continued in a similar role and emerged as a crucial organisational figure behind the scenes, handling campaign coordination, organisational logistics, and communication with party workers. Rath's family had been associated with Adhikari for over two decades, and his mother had held a position in a local panchayat body in Purba Medinipur during the Trinamool Congress years.