Veteran politician and former Union Railway Minister Mukul Roy, widely known as the “Chanakya of Bengal politics” for his sharp organisational and electoral strategies, passed away at a private hospital in Kolkata on Monday. He was 71.
He died following a cardiac arrest after suffering from age-related ailments for a long time, family sources said. Roy had been away from active politics in recent years due to his declining health.
A founding member of the Trinamool Congress, Roy was once considered the party’s second-in-command and a trusted aide of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. He played a key role in expanding the party’s structure beyond West Bengal and was regarded as one of the main architects of its political growth.
At the Centre, he served as Minister of State for Shipping and later briefly took charge as the Union Railway Minister in 2012 during the UPA-II government. He was also elected twice to the Rajya Sabha and later became an MLA from Krishnanagar Uttar.
Roy left the Trinamool Congress in 2017 to join the Bharatiya Janata Party, where he served as a national vice-president and helped the party make significant inroads in West Bengal. After winning the 2021 Assembly elections on a BJP ticket, he returned to the TMC, a move that triggered political controversy.
Leaders cutting across party lines condoled his death, remembering him as a master strategist whose moves shaped Bengal’s political landscape for over two decades.
His passing marks the end of a significant chapter in West Bengal politics.
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