Agnimitra Paul is an Indian politician and a former fashion designer. She is the president of BJP Mahila Morcha, West Bengal, and also serves as the BJP’s MLA in West Bengal. Before joining politics, she worked as a fashion designer in Kolkata, India, and designed costumes for various films.
Wiki/Biography
Agnimitra Paul was born as Agnimitra Roy in 1974 (age 48 years; as of 2022) in Asansol, Paschim Bardhaman, West Bengal. She went to the Loreto Convent school in Asansol and then attended Asansol Girls’ College for her higher education. Later, she went to Banwarilal Bhalotia College to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Botany (Honours). She also prepared for JEE but ended up remaining on the waiting list for two years. Her parents gave a hefty amount of donations to secure her admission to a medical college in Bangalore. She went to Bangalore to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor. However, she gave up this dream because her boyfriend Partho didn’t like it and returned back home after a week. After marriage, she went to Jadavpur University for pursuing her Master’s degree in Botany. During that time, she also enrolled in a fashion designing course at BILAMS.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 7″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Dark Brown
Family
Parents & Siblings
She is the daughter of Dr. Ashok Roy who is a pediatrician in Asansol, Paschim Bardhaman, West Bengal.
Husband & Children
Agnimitra is married to Partho Paul, an entrepreneur who is the Executive director of a pharmaceutical company named Palson Drugs & Chemical Industries. She met him for the first time in 1992 when he visited her father for official work.
Agnimitra Paul with her husband
In an interview, she talked about how they got along and said,
I first met Partho in 1992 when he’d visited my father on some official work. Our first impressions? My dad liked him instantly, my mother was a bit wary, and I thought he was an extremely genuine chap. I had just completed Class 12 then, with dreams of clearing the JEE and becoming a doctor. But they say when love comes calling, all else pales in comparison.
They used to exchange romantic cards when they started dating and soon got married. They have a son named Vighnesh Paul.
Agnimitra Paul with her son
Career
Fashion designer
Agnimitra’s husband supported her dream of becoming a Fashion designer and she started working as a fashion designer at various fashion houses. In 1996, she worked closely with established designers like Ritu Beri for five years and earned about Rs. 2,500 every month. However, this earning served as her initial funding for her own store and later she ended up starting her own fashion retail label named Inga. She also designed costumes for a Bollywood film, Koi Mere Dil Se Poochhe in 2001.
Agnimitra with Shridevi and Hema Malini at the launch of Koi Mere Dil Se Poochhe
She designed costumes for some big cinema projects of Tollywood. These projects included films like Hungama which was directed by Swapan Saha and Bidhatar Lekha which was directed by Raja Mukherjee. She became the first working woman in her family with her husband’s support. She talked about it in an interview and said,
Who would have thought that a few hours every morning at BILAMS would make me embrace fashion design with such commitment! And this time around, Partho did not stand in my way. I was the first woman of the family to start working and I’m really very grateful to my husband and in-laws for their support and encouragement.
Agnimitra at her designing studio
Politician
In March 2019, she joined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and became the president of BJP Mahila Morcha, West Bengal. In an interview, she talked about why she joined BJP and said,
It is because of Narendra Modi that I joined the party. I admire him; I am a big fan and would be happy to work under his leadership. I have joined BJP for him, nobody else and nothing more. I like his speeches, policies and the kind of work that he has done for the country. Because of his international policies, India is in a very strong position.’
Agnimitra Paul met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a political event
As the president of Mahila Morch, she organized a training workshop for women called Uma that focused on teaching self-defense to women in 23 districts of West Bengal. In 2021, she won the Legislative Assembly election from Asansol Dakshin Vidhan Sabha, West Bengal. She won the election by 1800 votes against Congrees candidate Sayani Ghosh.
Criminal Cases
As per IPC Section – 506, she has 4 charges to Punishment for criminal intimidation. As per IPC Section 324, she has one charge for hurting someone with a dangerous weapon. She also has a charge relating to punishment for causing grievous hurt as per Section 325. This is followed by 1 charge relating to statements conducting to public mischief as per IPC Section 505 and a charge relating to the punishment of theft as per section 379. This is followed by fifteen more charges as per various sections of the Indian Penal Code.
Controversies
- In September 2019, she registered a complaint stating that she was molested and physically abused by the crowd at the Jadavpur University in Kolkata, West Bengal. She said, that her clothes were torn and her modesty was attacked by the crowd at the university. While filing the complaint she said,
While we were about to enter the venue of the program, a section of the rowdy crowd physically blocked our passage. They started shouting slogans. Gradually, the crowd claiming to be students of the university became violent and started physical abuse, assault, abusive language, and moral mayhem.’
Net Worth
Agnimitra has an estimated net worth of Rs. 1.24 Crore.
Facts/Trivia
- Since childhood, she wanted to become a doctor just like her father.
- She worked on social causes and helped acid attack survives and visually challenged people even before becoming a politician.