Kolkata, Feb 23 (NationPress) Veteran politician Mukul Roy, a former Railway Minister from West Bengal, passed away early Monday at a private hospital in Kolkata, as confirmed by his family. He was aged 73.

Mukul Roy took his final breath shortly after 1:30 a.m. on Monday, as reported by his son, Subhranshu Roy. Having undergone treatment for various medical issues, he was reportedly unresponsive to the care he received, according to his close associates.

Once a pivotal figure in the Trinamool Congress, Roy served as the party’s general secretary and was a close ally of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. He was among the initial nine leaders who petitioned the Election Commission of India (ECI) in the late 1990s to establish a new political party, Trinamool Congress, following Banerjee's split from Congress. Numerous state Congress leaders in West Bengal supported her move.

Subsequently, he held various ministerial positions, such as Railways Minister, Union Minister of State for Shipping and Waterways, and Union Minister of State for Urban Development during the tenure of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA)-II government, which began in 2009 with Trinamool Congress as a coalition partner.

However, over time, he began to distance himself from the leadership of Trinamool Congress, especially from Mamata Banerjee. Initially, he was removed from his role as general secretary, and gradually, his involvement in party activities diminished.

In 2017, he made the announcement to cut ties with Trinamool Congress and join the BJP. He also stepped down from his position as a Rajya Sabha member of Trinamool Congress, remaining with the BJP until 2021.

During the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections, he contested successfully as a BJP candidate in the Krishnanagar (Uttar) Assembly constituency, located in the Nadia district.

However, shortly after the election results were announced, he rejoined Trinamool Congress, as Mamata Banerjee led her party to a significant third consecutive victory.

Despite his return, he did not resign from his state Assembly membership and continued as a BJP legislator. The Assembly Speaker, Biman Bandopadhyay, dismissed the BJP's request to revoke Roy's membership.

The Speaker noted that since Roy was officially a BJP candidate, his membership could not be annulled.

He was later appointed as the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the House, a position typically assigned to an MLA from the principal opposition party.

The BJP subsequently sought the cancellation of Roy's membership from the House due to his affiliation with the Krishnanagar (Uttar) Assembly constituency.

Following an extensive hearing, on November 12, 2025, a division bench of the Calcutta High Court, comprising Justice Debangsu Basak and Justice Md Shabbar Rashidi, ultimately canceled Roy's membership.

This decision was contested in the Supreme Court by his son, Subhranshu Roy. On January 16, an apex court panel, led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, granted a stay on the Calcutta High Court’s ruling.

His passing signifies the conclusion of a vibrant yet tumultuous political career. Roy is frequently seen as a pioneer in the trend of enticing and persuading political leaders from rival parties to switch allegiance.