Mukul Roy, the veteran politician and co-founder of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), passed away at the age of 71 in the early hours of Monday, February 23, 2026. Often hailed as the “Chanakya of Bengal politics,” Roy breathed his last at approximately 1:30 a.m. at a private hospital in Kolkata following a massive cardiac arrest. His son, Subhranshu Roy, confirmed that the former Union Railway Minister had been battling prolonged health issues, including Parkinson’s disease and dementia, and had been in a coma for several days prior to his demise. A towering figure in West Bengal’s political landscape for over four decades, Roy was instrumental in building the TMC’s grassroots organization and played a pivotal role in the historic 2011 victory that ended 34 years of Left Front rule. His political journey was marked by significant shifts, including a high-profile move to the BJP in 2017—where he was credited with the party’s 2019 Lok Sabha gains in the state—before he eventually returned to the TMC in 2021. Leaders across the political spectrum, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, expressed deep grief, noting that his death marks the end of an era in Indian politics.
