Actor‑turned‑politician Mithun Chakraborty has been named Advisor to the West Bengal Government with the rank of Cabinet Minister for Information and Culture. The decision was announced during the foundation‑stone ceremony for the Uttam Kumar Film Centre in New Town on 5 September 2026.
The appointment was formally notified on Wednesday, 7 October 2026, by the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms.
Chakraborty, a celebrated film star who achieved success in both Bengali cinema and Bollywood, first entered politics with the Left Front. After the Front lost power in 2014, he was nominated by the Trinamool Congress to the Rajya Sabha, serving until his resignation in 2016 over health concerns.
He received the Mahanayak Samman from former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in 2017. In March 2021, he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party at a large event attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the state assembly elections, following a series of investigations into alleged chit‑fund scams.
