Veteran West Bengal politician Mukul Roy, a founding member of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and former Union minister, died at a Kolkata hospital early Monday. He was 71.
Roy had been battling multiple health issues, including Parkinson’s disease, and had undergone three surgeries, his son Subhranshu Roy said. He had been hospitalized for over two years and was in a coma. Roy served as a Minister of State in the Shipping Ministry and later in the Ministry of Railways during the second UPA government led by Manmohan Singh.
Political leaders across party lines condoled his death. BJP leader Dilip Ghosh described Roy as an experienced politician who had been unable to actively participate in public life due to prolonged illness. “He was an experienced politician and a former Union minister. For the last two to three years, he had been seriously ill. I pray that his soul rests in peace,” Ghosh said.
Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari also expressed condolences, calling Roy’s passing “deeply disheartening.”
Roy’s political career saw several shifts. Initially a Congress member, he later became a key architect of the TMC before joining the BJP ahead of the 2019 general elections. He was elected as a BJP MLA in the 2021 West Bengal Assembly polls but subsequently returned to the TMC later that year.
His defection triggered a legal dispute over disqualification under the anti-defection law. The Supreme Court in January stayed a Calcutta High Court order that had disqualified him from the Assembly. During proceedings, Roy’s counsel argued that evidence cited to prove defection lacked proper authentication under the Evidence Act. Opposing counsel contended that Roy’s switch from the BJP to the TMC clearly warranted disqualification.
The Supreme Court granted interim relief, keeping the High Court’s ruling in abeyance.
Roy remained largely inactive in politics in recent years due to ill health.
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