Sonali Guha


Sonali Guha is an Indian politician from the state of West Bengal. Guha is an All India Trinamool Congress politician and four-term member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly and the first women Deputy Speaker of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly.

Early life and education

Sonali Guha was born 27 December 1968 in Kolkata. She attended the University of Calcutta and graduated in science from Charuchandra College.

Political career

Guha took to politics at an early age and was a close aide to Mamata Banerjee. Between 2001 and 2003, on instructions from Mamata Banerjee, Guha intervened in the defense of squatters that were being evicted from the banks of Tolly's Nullah and Gobindapur railway colony.
Guha was first elected to the West Bengal Legislative Assembly in 2001 from the Satgachhia on an All India Trinamool Congress ticket. She defeated Gokul Bairagi of the Communist Party of India by about 6,000 votes. Her victory was significant as the seat had been held for five terms by Chief Minister Jyoti Basu, since 1977, but Basu decided not to contest the 2001 election for health reasons.
In the 2006 assembly election Guha defeated Kabita Kayal of the Communist Party of India by about 6,000 votes. She was elected as the first women deputy speaker of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly.
Guha was re-elected to the West Bengal Legislative Assembly in 2011. This time her opponent was Barun Naskar from the Communist Party of India, whom she defeated by about 18,000 votes.
In the 2016 assembly election, Guha won the Satgachhia seat for the fourth time, defeating Paramita Ghosh of the Communist Party of India by about a margin of 17,500 votes.

Personal life

Guha is married to Partha Bose and the couple have one daughter.