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Chittaranjan Bakshi (born 1933) is an Indian communist leader, trade unionist, and lifelong social activist, known for his pivotal role in organizing contract laborers in Bhilai Steel Plant and his decades-long commitment to tribal rights, civil liberties, and the leftist movement in India.{{cite news |title=Political parties in Third Front demand removal of Governor |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/political-parties-in-the-third-front-in-chhattisgarh-at-an-emergency-meeting-on-thursday-demanded-removal-of-chhattisgarh-governor-shekhar-dutt-for-being-insensitive-towards-crime-said-senior-third-front-leader-and-cpi-national-executive-member-chittaranjan-bakshi-/articleshow/20351245.cms |newspaper=The Times of India |date=May 30, 2013}}

Bakshi was born in a politically active communist family in Sherpur, Mymensingh district, Bengal Presidency. His uncle Pulin Behari Bakshi was a revolutionary associated with the Anushilan Samiti, and later a leader in the Communist Party of Pakistan. Chittaranjan was influenced by the Bengal famine of 1943 and joined the Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA) as a child. He was arrested and jailed in East Pakistan for opposing the imposition of Urdu and participating in underground activities organized by the Communist Party.

After his release, he migrated to India in 1951 and completed his schooling and college education in Cooch Behar, West Bengal. He formally joined the CPI in 1952.

As a student in West Bengal, Bakshi was active in the All India Students Federation (AISF). He participated in the 1958 Food Movement in Kolkata and served as Vice President of his college union.

In 1960, Bakshi moved to Bhilai and began organizing workers in the Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP). He co-founded the Samyukta Khadan Mazdoor Sangh (SKMS), affiliated with AITUC, and led significant labor movements for the regularization of contract workers. Under his leadership, approximately 10,000 contract laborers were departmentalized—a landmark in Indian labor history. He also helped establish labor cooperatives and expanded SKMS branches to Nandini and Hirri mines.

From the 1980s, Bakshi focused on tribal rights and rural displacement. He opposed land acquisition for the Tata Steel plant in Lohandiguda and protested against Salwa Judum, a state-backed militia in Chhattisgarh. He advocated for the implementation of Schedule V and PESA laws and called for dialogue with Maoist groups to resolve the conflict peacefully.{{cite news |title=Fear of Maoists stalks election-bound Chhattisgarh |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/fear-of-maoists-stalks-electionbound-chhattisgarh/article5314755.ece |newspaper=The Hindu |date=November 6, 2013}}

Bakshi is regarded as a pioneer of inclusive Marxist activism. His contributions to trade unionism, tribal welfare, and anti-corporate land rights campaigns remain influential in Chhattisgarh. He was also known for his association with intellectuals like Dr. B.D. Sharma, Mayaram Surjan, and Kayur Bhushan.

He was married to Aruna Aich, a teacher and fellow CPI member, who supported his activism until her death in 2000. Bakshi continues to support CPI and left movements while residing in Bhilai.{{cite web |title=CPI Star Campaigners 2019 |url=https://ceomeghalaya.nic.in/electionconducted/ls2019/star-campaigner/cpi.pdf |website=CEO Meghalaya |access-date=2025-03-25}}{{cite web |title=State Campaigner List |url=https://www.ceoandaman.nic.in/election/AnnounceContent/StaCampaignerCPI.pdf |website=CEO Andaman |access-date=2025-03-25}}

• "Reminiscences of Communist Activist – C.R. Bakshi", Self-published memoir, 2020.
• Chittaranjan_Bakshi Research Archive, 2024.
• CPI Archives – Trade Union History, AITUC Bhilai Branch.
• Pramatha Gupta, "Tribal People in Liberation Struggles", Calcutta, 1982.
• [https://www.communistparty.in/post/poster-on-cpi-19th-party-congress-chandigarh-29th-march-to-3rd-april-2005 CPI 19th Party Congress Poster]