Veteran West Bengal politician and former Union Railway Minister Mukul Roy died in Kolkata in the early hours of Monday (23 February), according to family members and local reports. He was 71. According to available information, Roy suffered a cardiac arrest, following which he passed away.
Once regarded as one of the most influential strategists in the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), Roy’s long political career spanned shifting allegiances, ministerial office and a protracted legal battle over defection.
Mukul Roy’s son, Shuvrangshu Roy, confirmed that he breathed his last at Apollo Hospital, a private hospital in Salt Lake around 1:30 am, as reported by news agency. ANI and The Indian Express.
Mukul Roy’s health struggles and final years
Roy had largely withdrawn from active politics in recent years as his health deteriorated. Doctors confirmed in early 2023 that he had been battling dementia and Parkinson’s disease, conditions that significantly impaired his cognitive and physical abilities.
In March 2023, he underwent brain surgery for hydrocephalus, a disorder caused by the accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain, leading to increased intracranial pressure. His condition worsened in July 2024 following a fall at his residence that resulted in a head injury and surgery to remove a blood clot.
He also suffered from chronic diabetes, respiratory distress and persistently high blood sugar levels, factors that contributed to what associates described as increasingly “feeble” health in his final years.
Mukul Roy’s rise within Trinamool Congress
Roy was once considered the second-most powerful figure in the All India Trinamool Congress after Mamata Banerjee. A key organizational strategist, he played a pivotal role in the party’s sweeping victory in the 2011 West Bengal Assembly elections, which ended 34 years of Left Front rule.
In 2012, he briefly served as the 32nd Union Railway Minister under the UPA-II government, succeeding Dinesh Trivedi amid controversy over proposed railway fare increases. His tenure lasted from 20 March to 21 September 2012.
However, his standing within the TMC declined sharply after the Narada sting operation controversy. He was expelled from the party in 2017.
Mukul Roy’s switch to BJP and return to TMC
In November 2017, Roy joined the Bharatiya Janata Party and later rose to become its National Vice President in 2020. He was instrumental in shaping the party’s West Bengal campaign strategy and contested the 2021 Assembly elections as a BJP candidate.
After the election results, he returned to the Trinamool Congress in August 2021 in the presence of Mamata Banerjee and national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee. Yet his renewed political innings was overshadowed by declining health, and he remained largely inactive thereafter.
Supreme Court stay in anti-defection case against Mukul Roy
Roy’s return to the TMC triggered legal proceedings under the anti-defection law. In a significant development on 16 January this year, the Supreme Court of India stayed an earlier decision of the Calcutta High Court disqualifying him as a Member of the Legislative Assembly.
A bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi observed that electronic evidence alleging defect required scrutiny. “Electronic evidence has to be tested,” the bench noted, adding that it could not be assumed on the principle of “preponderance of probability”.
The apex court issued notice to the West Bengal Speaker, the Secretary and Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari seeking responses to Roy’s plea.
The Calcutta High Court had earlier ruled that Roy’s defection stood established, pointing to his participation in a Trinamool Congress press conference. The High Court also criticized what it described as partisan handling of the case by the state Assembly Speaker.
