Pabitra Chanda, the working president of North Dinajpur district Congress, died at a private nursing home here on Sunday afternoon. He was 55.

Chanda, a resident of Debinagar in Raiganj town, had been sick for quite some time. On Sunday early morning, as his condition deteriorated, he was admitted to the nursing home where he died around 12.30pm.

Since his college days, Chanda had been associated with politics and over the years, he handled a number of posts in the Congress. Along with politics, Chanda was also known for his contribution to sports, art and culture.

Chanda was a member of the district sports & games association and was also the president of Raiganj Cultural Forum.

“Pabitra Chanda was a rare politician in the district because of his cordial relation with leaders of all political parties. His acceptability among people from different walks of life was something that many prominent political leaders would envy,” said a senior Congress leader.