Sunil Chandra Tirkey

Sunil Chandra Tirkey was born on July 11, 1948, in West Bengal, got his education done, and graduated before starting his career with Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (Marketing Division). Eventually, he got into politics, where he was mainly recognized for his work towards the development of the area, social welfare, and, of course, the tribals through community meetings in the northern part of West Bengal.

In the 2011 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election, he stood for the Phansidewa constituency as a candidate of the Indian National Congress and won, thus entering the state legislature. Not long after, he was appointed Minister of State for Consumer Affairs in the Mamata Banerjee government with the UPA's backing and coalition agreement. Still, in September 2012, he stepped down from the ministerial position when Congress pulled out of the state.

He won over the Trinamool Congress candidate in the Assembly election and thus became the MLA for a second consecutive term. During his time as a legislator, he participated in the debates and the proposals that dealt with social welfare in his constituency, infrastructure, and tribal problems.

He faced the BJP candidate Durga Murmu in the 2021 Assembly elections and lost, thus putting an end to his ten-year stint as the legislator for Phansidewa. However, the defeat hasn’t stopped his involvement in community activities and party matters, which he sees as a sharing of his experience as an MLA and former minister.

By 2025, Sunil Chandra Tirkey will still be a seasoned Congress leader with considerable power in the political arena of northern West Bengal and will still be advocating with the same zeal for local development.