Former Union Railway Minister and veteran leader Mukul Roy passed away at the age of 71. He was a founding member of TMC and later became a prominent leader in BJP as well. He played an important role in Bengal politics for decades.
Former Union Railway Minister and veteran Bengal leader Mukul Roy died in a private hospital in Kolkata on Sunday. He was 71 years old and was ill for a long time. Mukul Roy was one of the founding members of the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) and later became a senior leader in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He has played a huge role in reshaping the politics of West Bengal in the last two decades.
When Mamata Banerjee was emerging as an opposition leader in West Bengal, Mukul Roy became her closest aide. In 1998, he left the Congress along with Mamata and other leaders and founded the All India Trinamool Congress. His stature in TMC rose rapidly and in 2006 he was made the national general secretary of the party. He played an important role in building the party’s grassroots network and was considered one of the main strategists of TMC. He also played a big role in the historic victory of Trinamool Congress in the 2011 assembly elections. This victory ended the 34-year-old rule of the Left Front in West Bengal.
About the birth and studies of Mukul Roy…
Mukul Roy was born on 17 April 1954. He obtained BSc degree from Calcutta University. Subsequently in 2006, he did MA in Public Administration from Madurai Kamaraj University.
What was the role of Mukul Roy in national politics?
Mukul Roy was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2006. He joined the Union Cabinet during the UPA-2 government. He first served as the Minister of State for Shipping and was later made the Union Minister of Railways in March 2012.
Why did he leave TMC and join BJP and then why did he return?
Mukul’s relations with the TMC leadership deteriorated after his name cropped up in the investigation of Saradha chit fund scam and Narada sting operation. In 2015, he was removed from the post of general secretary of the party and in 2017 he was expelled from the party. He joined BJP in November 2017. BJP made him national vice president. Like TMC, he also played an important role in expanding the organizational network of BJP.
BJP’s stellar performance in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, in which the party won 18 out of 42 seats in West Bengal, is considered to be the result of his strategy. In the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections, he contested from Krishnanagar seat on BJP ticket and won. But, soon after the results of 2021 elections came out, he returned back to Trinamool Congress. However, he did not resign from the post of MLA. Therefore, despite joining TMC, he remained a BJP MLA on paper. Not only this, he was also made the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), whereas this post is usually given to a member of the opposition.
Due to his defection, legal action was initiated under the anti-defection law. Opposition leader Subhendu Adhikari and BJP MLA Ambika Roy demanded cancellation of his MLA. When the Assembly Speaker refused to disqualify Mukul Roy, the matter reached the Calcutta High Court. In 2025, the High Court ordered the cancellation of Mukul Roy’s membership and his removal from the post of Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee. However, later the Supreme Court stayed this order.