Veteran TMC Leader Mukul Roy, Known As Bengal’s ‘Chanakya’, Dies At 71 After Prolonged Illness

New Delhi: Former Railway Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Mukul Roy died at Apollo Hospital in Salt Lake, Kolkata around 1:30 am on Sunday morning. The cause of death was cardiac arrest. His son Subhranshu Roy confirmed the news. Mukul Roy was ill for a long time and had even gone into coma a few days ago.

Since when was Mukul Roy unwell?

Mukul Roy's health was very bad for the last two years. He had dementia. He forgot even familiar faces. Liquid food was being given through a Ryle's tube. He kept going from hospital to home. The funeral will take place at home on Monday.

Why was Mukul Roy called 'Chanakya of Bengal politics'?

Mukul Roy was Mamata Banerjee's most trusted man. He had a big role in forming Trinamool Congress in 1998. He was considered number two in the party. His strategy worked in defeating the Left Front and forming the TMC government in Bengal in 2011. He became the Minister of State for Shipping at the Center in UPA-2, then also the Railway Minister for a few months in 2012.

But after his name appeared in Saradha chit fund and Narada sting, the distance from Mamta increased. He was expelled from the party in 2015. He switched to BJP in 2017. This step brought a storm in Bengal politics. Mukul Roy strengthened the roots of BJP, broke many big leaders, and got 18 seats for BJP in 2019 Lok Sabha. He had a lot of contribution in making BJP the main opposition party in Bengal. People called him 'Chanakya of Bengal'.

Then why did you return to Trinamool Congress?

Won Krishnanagar seat from BJP in 2021 Assembly. But his grip on the party started loosening. Suvendu Adhikari returned to TMC in June 2021 within a month after being made the Leader of Opposition. Mamta had then said, "Mukul is our old boy; old is gold." But this homecoming could not do much.

How did the political journey end?

In 2023, due to dementia, he said in Delhi that he is still a BJP MLA. In 2025, the Calcutta High Court disqualified him from the post of MLA—as returning to TMC was against the anti-defection law.

Mukul Roy's name will be remembered for a long time in Bengal politics - on one hand, Mamata's most confidant, on the other hand, the strategist who gave new strength to BJP.