Key Points

State party insiders said that although Bhattacharya has been suffering from fever for the last few days, he had been performing his duties in the state party office from the BJP's state headquarters in Kolkata while suffering from fever.

"However, on Monday, his condition deteriorated slightly, and he started feeling extremely weak. His doctor did not take any chances and decided to get him admitted to a private hospital in the city," said a state BJP committee member.

He also added that Bhattacharya had been extremely diligent in performing his dual assignments both as the state Party President as well as the party's Rajya Sabha member.

"Since the time he assumed the chair of the state party President, he had been moving around the entire state with a focus on strengthening the organisational network, especially the booth-level network of the party in the state," he said.

Last week, Bhattacharya also toured North Bengal when the entire region was devastated by floods and landslides.

He developed a fever since he returned to Kolkata from North Bengal.

He interacted with the flood-affected people there and also instructed the local BJP leadership in North Bengal to stand by the affected people as far as possible.

He then also launched a scathing political attack against the state government, following the attack on BJP Lok Sabha member Khagen Murmu and the party's chief whip in state Assembly, Shankar Ghosh, allegedly by the Trinamool Congress activists.

"However, he (Samik Bhattacharya) continued to work with fever, ignoring the advice of his party members to go for rest for some days. On Monday, his physical condition was such that he was unable to concentrate on his political assignments. Thereafter, the doctors decided to get him admitted," the state committee member said.

At present, Samik Bhattacharya is 62-years-old.

- IANS