Former railway minister Mukul Roy, once regarded as West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's most trusted lieutenant and the TMC's principal strategist, died of cardiac arrest at a private hospital here early on Monday.
He was 71, and is survived by his son, Subhranshu Roy.
He breathed his last around 1.30 am at the hospital in Salt Lake, Subhranshu Roy said.
He had been suffering from multiple ailments and was in and out of the hospital over the past two years. Family members said he had also been diagnosed with dementia and had recently gone into a coma.
His body will be taken to his residence before the last rites are performed later in the day, they said.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed grief over the demise of veteran leader Mukul Roy, describing him as a long-time political colleague and co-fighter in many struggles.
In a Bengali post on X, Banerjee said she was "shocked and saddened" by Roy's passing and recalled that he had worked tirelessly for the Trinamool Congress since its founding, earning acceptance across all levels of the party.
"I am deeply shocked and grieved by the sudden news of the demise of veteran politician Mukul Roy. He was my long-time political colleague and a comrade-in-arms in many political struggles. The news of his departure has left me heartbroken," she said.
The late Mukul Roy devoted his life to the party from the very inception of the Trinamool Congress. He served as a Union minister and enjoyed acceptability across all levels of the party, the CM said.
Mamata noted that he had later chosen a different political path before returning, and said his contribution to West Bengal politics and organisational skills would not be forgotten.
Stating that the political fraternity, irrespective of party affiliation, would feel his absence, Mamata expressed her condolences to Roy's family and supporters, and urged his son to remain strong in the face of the loss.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday condoled the death of former Union minister Mukul Roy, and said he will be remembered for his political experience and efforts to serve the society.
"Pained by the passing of former Union Minister Shri Mukul Roy Ji. He will be remembered for his political experience and efforts to serve society. Condolences to his family and supporters. Om Shanti," Modi wrote on X.
Mamata's nephew and TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee also condoled Roy's death.
In an X post, he wrote: "The demise of Mukul Roy marks the end of an era in West Bengal's political history. A veteran leader with vast experience, his contributions helped shape an important phase of the state's public and political journey." "As a founding pillar of the All India Trinamool Congress, he was instrumental in expanding and consolidating the organisation during its formative years. His dedication to public life will be recalled with admiration. I extend my sincere sympathies to his family, friends and admirers. May his soul be granted eternal peace," he added.
A former Union minister and two-time Rajya Sabha member from West Bengal, Roy's four-decade-long political journey saw his stints in the Congress, TMC and the BJP.
His political career began with the Youth Congress, before he joined hands with Banerjee when she broke away from the grand old party to form the Trinamool Congress in 1998.
As a founding member, he quickly emerged as one of the key organisational pillars of the fledgling party and went on to serve as its general secretary.
He was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2006 and became the party's leader in the Upper House in 2009, turning into TMC's principal troubleshooter in Delhi. In the UPA-2 government, when the TMC was a constituent, Roy first served as Minister of State for Shipping before taking over as the railway minister in 2012.
In West Bengal's political circles, Roy earned a reputation as a backroom operator deft in organisational work. Following the TMC's historic victory in 2011 that ended 34 years of the Left Front rule, he played a significant role in consolidating the party's hold in several districts, overseeing defections from the CPI(M) and the Congress, strengthening the new regime's political base.
However, his career was not without controversy. His name had surfaced in the Saradha chit fund case and the Narada sting operation.
By 2017, relations between Roy and the TMC leadership had deteriorated. In November that year, he joined the BJP in a move that altered the state's political equations. Tasked with strengthening the BJP's organisation in West Bengal, Roy was credited by party leaders with helping engineer defections from the TMC and expanding the saffron party's base ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, in which the BJP won 18 of the state's 42 seats.
He was elected as a BJP MLA from the Krishnanagar Uttar constituency in the 2021 West Bengal assembly elections. Within months, however, he returned to the TMC, triggering legal and political wrangling. Subsequently, a court disqualified him as an MLA under the anti-defection law for switching parties after being elected on a BJP ticket.
Though he rejoined the TMC, Roy never regained the political centrality he once enjoyed. As his health declined, he gradually withdrew from active politics.
Often described as the 'Chanakya' of West Bengal politics during his prime, Roy remained a pivotal figure in the state's turbulent political landscape -- a strategist who operated as comfortably in Delhi's power corridors as in the backrooms of Kolkata's party offices.
Leader of the opposition in the state assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, condoled Roy's death.
In an X post, he wrote, "Deeply disheartened to learn about the sad demise of senior politician, Shri Mukul Roy. My sincere condolences to his family. Praying that his soul attains eternal peace. Om Shanti."