National, Feb 23: Former Union minister and senior Trinamool Congress leader Mukul Roy passed away in the early hours of Monday, February 23, at a hospital in Kolkata following a prolonged illness. He was 71.
Roy had been battling multiple health complications, including Parkinson’s disease, and had undergone three surgeries, his son Subhranshu Roy said. He had reportedly been hospitalised for over two years and was in a coma during the final phase of his treatment.
A founding member and key strategist of the All India Trinamool Congress, Roy played a pivotal role in the party’s rise in West Bengal. Before joining the TMC, he was associated with the Indian National Congress.
At the national level, Roy served as Minister of State in the Shipping Ministry and later in the Ministry of Railways during the second UPA government led by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, marking his emergence as a national political figure.
His political career witnessed dramatic shifts. In 2017, he left the TMC and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, becoming one of the party’s prominent faces in Bengal. He was elected as a BJP MLA in the 2021 Assembly elections. However, in August 2021, he returned to the TMC in the presence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the party’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
His return triggered legal proceedings over alleged defection. The matter reached the Supreme Court of India, which in January stayed an earlier order of the Calcutta High Court that had disqualified him from the State Legislative Assembly.
Leaders across party lines expressed condolences following his demise. BJP leader Dilip Ghosh described Roy as an experienced politician who earned respect during his stint with the BJP. Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari also conveyed his condolences, expressing grief over the passing of the senior leader.
Over a political career spanning decades, Mukul Roy navigated multiple party affiliations and played a significant role in shaping Bengal’s political landscape. In his final years, ill health kept him away from active public life, even as his legal and political trajectory remained a subject of national attention.
