Former West Bengal CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in critical condition

Ailing former West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee showed signs of slight improvement this morning but his overall condition remained "critical", hospital sources said.

A five-member team of doctors will be reviewing the 76-year-old politician's condition to decide on the next course of treatment, reports our New Delhi correspondent quoting the sources.

Bhattacharjee, who was the chief minister of West Bengal from 2000 to 2011, has been suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and other old age-related ailments for quite some time. He has been away from public life for the past few years due to his health.

"His health condition has improved a bit. He is also maintaining a steady partial pressure of carbon dioxide in his blood and the reading of which was at 42 this morning. This is normal for COPD patients," according to doctors.

The CPI(M) leader's oxygen saturation level is at around 90-95 percent, and he has regained consciousness, they said.

"But Bhattacharjee continues to be on ventilator support and his overall condition remains critical," a senior official of the Woodlands Hospital in south Kolkata where he is undergoing treatment, said.

He was taken off non-invasive oxygen support and put on mechanical ventilator support at the critical care unit of the hospital where he was admitted on Wednesday afternoon as his breathing-related problems aggravated in the evening.