“Chanakya of Bengal Politics” Mukul Roy dies at 71

Mukul Roy, a key strategist in Bengal politics and once the second-in-command of the All India Trinamool Congress, died early Sunday in Kolkata. He was 71. Doctors at Apollo Hospital pronounced him dead around 1:30 am after a massive cardiac arrest. His son, Subhranshu Roy, confirmed the news.

For the past few years, Roy struggled with serious health issues. Doctors had diagnosed him with dementia. His condition worsened steadily. He lost the ability to recognise close associates and family members. Doctors placed him on liquid nutrition through a medical tube. A few days before his death, he slipped into a coma. Despite medical efforts, his heart failed.

Roy built his political career alongside Mamata Banerjee. In 1998, he co-founded the Trinamool Congress with her. Soon after, he rose through the ranks. He became the party’s national general secretary. Party workers often described him as the organisational brain behind its expansion.

In 2011, the Trinamool Congress defeated the long-ruling Left Front in West Bengal. Roy played a central role in that victory. He handled strategy and coordination across districts. As a result, the party formed the government in the state. Later, he joined the Union Cabinet. He first served as Minister of State for Shipping. Then he briefly held the Railway portfolio in 2012.

However, political turbulence followed. His name surfaced in the Saradha chit fund controversy. Later, a sting operation linked him to the Narada case. These developments weakened his standing in the party. In 2015, the Trinamool leadership removed him from the post of general secretary.

Then in 2017, Roy made a dramatic shift. He left the Trinamool Congress and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party. The move surprised Bengal’s political circles. He quickly became a key strategist for the BJP in the state. He helped the party expand its grassroots network. Consequently, the BJP won 18 of 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal in 2019. That result marked a major breakthrough for the party.

In 2021, Roy contested the Assembly election from Krishnanagar on a BJP ticket. He won the seat. Yet his influence within the BJP soon declined. Internal equations shifted. After Suvendu Adhikari emerged as Leader of the Opposition, Roy distanced himself from the party. Within a month, he returned to the Trinamool Congress.

Mamata Banerjee welcomed him back in June 2021. She described him as an old member of the political family. However, his second innings in the party remained quiet. His health deteriorated rapidly. Public appearances became rare.

In 2023, his struggle with dementia drew national attention. During a visit to Delhi, he claimed he still served as a BJP MLA. The statement triggered confusion about his political status. Later, in 2025, the Calcutta High Court disqualified him as a legislator. The court ruled that his return to the Trinamool Congress violated anti-defection provisions.

Over decades, Roy earned the nickname “Chanakya of Bengal politics” for his tactical skills. He shaped electoral campaigns and built alliances. He navigated complex political shifts. Yet in the end, illness overshadowed his final years.

Family members will conduct his last rites on Monday after they bring his body home. Bengal politics now bids farewell to one of its most influential strategists.