Kolkata: Former Railway Minister and senior political strategist Mukul Roy died of a heart attack in the early hours of Monday at a private hospital in Kolkata.
He was 71.
Roy breathed his last around 1.30 am while undergoing treatment, his son Subhrangshu Roy said.
“He was undergoing treatment at a private hospital. It was around 1.30 am last night he had a massive heart attack which he could not survive in spite of the efforts by doctors,” he added.
Known once as the “Chanakya of Bengal politics”, Roy had been battling multiple health complications, including kidney-related problems, and had been hospitalised several times in recent years.
A founding member of the All India Trinamool Congress, Roy was regarded as one of the closest confidants of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and played a crucial role in building the party’s organisational strength.
Before the formation of the Trinamool Congress, he was associated with the Indian National Congress. During the second UPA government, Roy served as Minister of State in the Shipping Ministry and later in the Ministry of Railways.
In 2017, Roy left the Trinamool Congress and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, where he was given key organisational responsibilities. He contested the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections from Krishnanagar North on a BJP ticket and won the seat.
He later returned to the Trinamool Congress but did not resign as MLA.
Due to prolonged illness, Roy had largely remained away from active politics in recent years.