Former West Bengal Assembly deputy speaker and veteran Trinamool Congress leader Asish Banerjee was found hanging at a party office near his residence in Hattala Para, Rampurhat, in Birbhum district on Sunday morning, police sources said.
A purported suicide note was recovered from the party office, with police examining its contents to determine the circumstances surrounding his death. The note, which has gone viral on social media, Banerjee is learnt to have said that no one was responsible for his death and expressed regret over entering politics.
The body was sent for post-mortem examination.
Banerjee, who represented Rampurhat in the West Bengal Assembly continuously from 2001 to 2026, had served as deputy speaker and held ministerial portfolios including school education and agriculture in the Mamata Banerjee government.
He contested the 2026 Assembly elections from Rampurhat on a TMC ticket but lost to BJP's Dhruva Saha by more than 24,000 votes. Party sources said Banerjee had not been particularly active in politics since his electoral defeat.
A prominent TMC leader in Birbhum during the tenure of party strongman Anubrata Mondal as district president, Banerjee's death comes amid a major political shift in West Bengal following the TMC's defeat in the 2026 Assembly polls, which ended its 15-year rule.
Several former TMC legislators and leaders are also facing corruption-related investigations and arrests.
(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Tele Manas - 14416 (available 24x7) or Sneha Foundation - 04424640050 or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)
(With inputs from PTI)