Editing Somnath Chatterjee (section)

==Political career==
[[File:Mohd. Hamid Ansari, the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Speaker, Lok Sabha, Shri Somnath Chatterjee and the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha.jpg|thumb|Chatterjee with Prime Minister [[Manmohan Singh]] and other senior leaders at the Lok Sabha in December 2008]]
Somnath Chatterjee was a member of the [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]] (CPI(M)) from 1968 to 2008. He became a Member of the Lok Sabha in 1971 when he was elected the  first time as CPM (Marxist Communist) candidate from [[Burdwan (Lok Sabha constituency)]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.elections.in/parliamentary-constituencies/1971-election-results.html|title = 1971 India General (5th Lok Sabha) Elections Results}}</ref> Subsequently, he was re-elected nine times, except once when he lost to [[Mamata Banerjee]] in the Jadavpur Lok Sabha constituency in 1984. From 1989 until 2004 he was the leader of his party in the Lok Sabha. He was elected for the tenth time in 2004 as a member of the [[14th Lok Sabha]] from Bolpur Lok Sabha constituency, which is considered to be a CPI(M) stronghold. Following the 2004 election, he was appointed the pro tem speaker and subsequently on 4 June 2004 he was unanimously elected as the Speaker of the 14th Lok Sabha.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/only-mamata-banerjee-could-defeat-somnath-chatterjee-1312879-2018-08-13 | title=Only Mamata Banerjee could defeat Somnath Chatterjee | publisher=[[India Today]] | work=Prabhash K Dutta | date=13 August 2018 | access-date=14 August 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/comrades-unsung-gain-was-court-s-loss-252124?ref=india-new-stry | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180814035955/https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/comrades-unsung-gain-was-court-s-loss-252124?ref=india-new-stry | url-status=dead | archive-date=14 August 2018 | title=Comrades' (unsung) gain was court's loss | publisher=Telegraph India | date=14 August 2018 | access-date=14 August 2018}}</ref><ref name="AA2018">{{cite web | url=http://www.asianage.com/india/all-india/140818/somnath-chatterjee-89-dies-kin-shuns-cpms-condolence.html | title=Somnath Chatterjee, 89, dies, kin shuns CPM's condolence | publisher=[[Asian Age]] | date=14 August 2018 | access-date=14 August 2018}}</ref>

===Expulsion from the CPI (M)===
After the CPI (M) withdrew its support for the UPA-led government in 2008, the party included Chatterjee's name on its list of MPs who were withdrawing their support from the government, despite his non-partisan position as Speaker. Chatterjee, however, appeared unwilling to follow the party line to vote against the government in a crucial July 2008 [[United Progressive Alliance#Vote of confidence|confidence vote]], as voting against the government would mean voting alongside the right-wing opposition BJP.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20081008005730/http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=&id=de97a497-5dae-4970-be86-ee3c8e8cb7c7&MatchID1=4735&TeamID1=8&TeamID2=6&MatchType1=1&SeriesID1=1194&PrimaryID=4735&Headline=Speaker+adamant%2C+may+quit+LS%2C+CPM&strParent=strParentID  "Speaker adamant, may quit both House and party"], ''Hindustan Times'', 17 July 2008.</ref> Ignoring the party's instructions, he decided to stay on in his post as Speaker of the House, acting in this capacity during the confidence vote. Following the vote, which the government survived, on 23 July 2008, the CPI (M) expelled him from the party for violation of [[party discipline]].<ref>[http://www.headlinesindia.com/main.jsp?news_code=79560 "Somnath pays price for violating party line"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007173457/http://www.headlinesindia.com/main.jsp?news_code=79560 |date=7 October 2008 }}, IANS (headlinesindia.com), 23 July 2008.</ref> A CPI (M) [[press release]] said, "The Politburo of the Communist Party of India-Marxist has unanimously decided to expel Somnath Chatterjee from the membership of the party with immediate effect. This action has been taken under Article XIX, clause 13 of the Party Constitution for seriously compromising the position of the party."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ibnlive.com/news/somnath-chatterjee-shown-the-door-by-cpim/69418-3.html?xml |title=CPI-M fails to pull down Govt, sacks Somnath|date=23 July 2008|publisher=CNN IBN|access-date=2008-07-23}}</ref> Bengal secretary [[Biman Bose]] said "Chatterjee may have acted according to the Indian Constitution but the party constitution is supreme in [the] case of party members."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080724/jsp/frontpage/story_9593437.jsp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080727014701/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080724/jsp/frontpage/story_9593437.jsp |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 July 2008 |title= The Telegraph}}</ref>

According to Chatterjee, the expulsion was "one of the saddest days" of his life. He suggested that future speakers should resign from their parties while serving in that office to help ensure its non-partisan standing.<ref>Santosh H K Narayan, [http://www.headlinesindia.com/main.jsp?news_code=80023 "No taker of Speaker's suggestion"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007173518/http://www.headlinesindia.com/main.jsp?news_code=80023 |date=7 October 2008 }}, headlinesindia.com, 1 August 2008.</ref> His constituency of Bolpur had already been reserved for the [[Scheduled Castes]], meaning he would have been unable to contest the seat in the [[2009 Indian general election|next election]]; he announced in August 2008, following his expulsion from the CPI(M), that he would retire from politics at the time of the next election in 2009. He was broadly respected in his constituency; the CPI(M)'s 2009 candidate, [[Ramchandra Dom]], expressed admiration for Chatterjee and vowed to continue his work, while the Congress candidate, [[Asit Mal]], said that the people of Bolpur were "hurt at the way [Chatterjee] was driven out of the CPI-M" and that their feelings would "be reflected in the results".<ref>Sirshendu Panth, [http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/politics/retired-somnath-chatterjee-omnipresent-in-old-constituency_100174951.html "Retired Somnath Chatterjee omnipresent in old constituency"], IANS (thaindian.com), 3 April 2009.</ref>

===Awards and honors===
In 1996 he won the [[Outstanding Parliamentarian Award]].

in 2013, he received Living Legend Award at the prestigious Bharat Nirman Awards.