Mr. Somnath Chatterjee was elected as the 14th Speaker of the Lok Sabha on 4 June 2004. This dedicated politician began his political career in 1968 as a member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [C.P.I. (M)]. Before making a strong foothold in the political arena, he served as an Advocate, Trade Unionist, Political & Social Worker.

In 1971, he was elected to the 5th Lok Sabha. Then, he served on numerous Parliamentary Committees as a chairman. Also, he has been a member of various governmental and parliamentary delegations. As a speaker, he introduced the concept of live telecast of Parliamentary proceedings.

Shri Somnath Chatterjee, is a multifaceted personality with varied interests that range from education and sports to constitutional studies. He is a people’s man in every sense of the term. He is a modern man, with strong ideological underpinnings but wedded to Liberalism. He combines an unwavering commitment to the basic principles and values of India’s democracy with a rare ability to transcend political divides. He believes in giving equal importance to industrial and agricultural sectors and works hard for the advancement of both. He was the Chairman of the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation for over a decade and visited many countries in promoting the State as an attractive investment destination.

Shri Chatterjee is actively associated with a large number of socio-cultural, educational and professional institutions and trade unions. Through these organisations, he is engaged in constructive activities, such as the uplift of the deprived and the downtrodden and eradication of illiteracy. A keen sports enthusiast, he loves watching sports events and is associated with several sports organisations and clubs. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the Mohan Bagan Athletic Club, the Cricket Association of Bengal, the Bengal Table Tennis Association etc.

Shri Somnath Chatterjee has been a role model for Parliamentarians. A highly accomplished lawyer, a trade unionist, an articulate and effective Parliamentarian, a leader of stature, and now the Speaker of the world’s largest democracy, his record will be difficult to break. Throughout his public life he has been infusing a sense of respect among our people in the institutions of democracy and thereby sustaining the people’s faith in them. Being acutely aware of the disenchantment of the common people with the imperfections in the system, he has been eager to correct them, constantly reminding those in Parliament of the growing cynicism among the people and that unless correctives are applied, the people would lose faith in the efficacy of Parliamentary democracy as a system of governance. Shri Chatterjee has been passionately trying to infuse into the working of the Lok Sabha greater transparency and accountability so as to restore it to a position of pre-eminence as the highest forum of the world’s largest democracy.