Comrade Mahendra Patel, a veteran CPI(ML) Liberation leader in East Champaran, Bihar, passed away on October 13, 2026, at the age of around 80. A resident of Bahadurpur village in Adapur block, he had been suffering from a heart ailment for the past few days. He was among the key leaders who established the Party in East Champaran in the 1970s.
Inspired by the revolutionary spirit of Naxalbari, Comrade Mahendra Patel began his political journey through the PCC, CPI(ML), before joining hands with Comrade Gambhira Prasad and other comrades to build CPI(ML) Liberation in the district. Following Comrade Gambhira Prasad’s martyrdom around 1977, he took on the responsibility of leading the Party alongside other comrades. He was also among the founding comrades of the then Bihar Pradesh Kisan Sabha and played an important role in the formation of the Janwadi Deshbhakt Morcha and the state-level Indian People's Front (IPF). The Party fielded him from Adapur in the 1990 and 1995 Assembly elections, where he secured around 5,000 votes.
Comrade Mahendra Patel fought resolutely against divisive forces that sought to split the Party in the early 1980s, a period in which several comrades laid down their lives. He survived repeated attempts on his life and several stints in jail, remaining steadfast in his commitment to the revolutionary movement. Throughout his political life, he stood at the forefront of struggles against feudal oppression, for workers’ wages and against police repression and the terror of anarchist forces. Despite severe economic hardship, he never wavered in his commitment to the Party and the struggles of the oppressed.
CPI(ML) Liberation pays revolutionary tribute to Comrade Mahendra Patel, whose courage, steadfastness and lifelong dedication to the Party and the people’s struggles continue to inspire the revolutionary movement.
