Former Union Minister and senior politician Mukul Roy passed away at a private hospital in Salt Lake, Kolkata, around 1:30 am on Monday, February 23. He was 71. His son, Shuvrangshu Roy, confirmed the news to The Indian Express. Roy had served as the 32nd Union Minister of Railways from March 20, 2012, to September 21, 2012, during the UPA-II government, succeeding Dinesh Trivedi amid controversy over railway fare hikes.
In recent years, Roy had been battling a series of severe neurological and systemic ailments that gradually pushed him away from active politics. Doctors confirmed in early 2023 that he was suffering from Dementia and Parkinson’s disease, which significantly impaired his cognitive abilities and physical stability.
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In March 2023, he underwent brain surgery for hydrocephalus, a condition caused by the buildup of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain. In July 2024, he was hospitalised in critical condition following a fall at his residence that led to a head injury and surgery to remove a blood clot.
He also struggled with chronic diabetes, respiratory complications, and high blood sugar levels, which further weakened his health in his final years.
TMC era
Mukul Roy was once considered one of the prominent secondary leaders and a key architect in the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) and played a crucial strategic role in the party’s landmark 2011 West Bengal Assembly election victory. However, he was expelled from the party in 2017 in connection with the Narada sting controversy, which allegedly captured payoffs on video.
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Switch to the BJP
Roy joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in November 2017 and rose to become its National Vice President in 2020. He was actively involved in shaping the party’s strategy in West Bengal. He contested the 2021 Assembly elections as a BJP candidate but later returned to the Trinamool Congress after the results.
Following 2021, he remained largely inactive in politics due to deteriorating health.
