Daijiworld Media Network - Kolkata

Kolkata, Feb 23: Mukul Roy (71), a veteran West Bengal politician often described as the “Chanakya” of Bengal politics, passed away at a hospital in Kolkata at 1.30 am due to cardiac arrest.

A former Union Railway Minister and once a close aide of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Roy had been battling multiple ailments for the past two years. He was hospitalised and his health had been steadily deteriorating. According to reports, he had slipped into a coma a few days ago and had earlier lost his memory, including the ability to recognise familiar faces. He was being fed liquid food through a Ryle’s tube.

After formalities, his mortal remains will be taken to his residence, and the last rites are scheduled to be performed on Monday, media reports said.

Roy, who was once considered Mamata Banerjee’s trusted lieutenant and the second-in-command in the party, surprised many by joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2017, just two years ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

He emerged as a key strategist for the BJP in West Bengal and played a significant role in the party winning 18 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state in 2019. In the 2021 Assembly elections, Roy contested on a BJP ticket and won from Krishnanagar. However, his influence within the party began to wane soon after.

A month after Suvendu Adhikari became the Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal following his narrow victory over Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram, Roy quit the BJP and rejoined the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC).

Known for his political acumen, Roy had risen through the ranks after co-founding the TMC with Mamata Banerjee in 1998 and went on to serve as the party’s national general secretary.

In 2025, the Calcutta High Court disqualified him as an MLA, ruling that his return to the TMC violated the anti-defection law.