Former Railway Minister and Rajya Sabha MP, Mukul Roy, passed away early this morning at a private hospital in Kolkata. He was 71 years old. His son, Subhranshu Roy, informed that Roy died around 1:30 AM after a prolonged battle with several health issues. Roy, a founding member of the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) and once considered the party's number two leader, began his political career in the Indian National Congress before helping to establish the TMC in 1998. Later, due to a dispute with TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, he switched to the BJP and won a seat in the 2021 Assembly elections, representing the Krishnanagar North constituency on a BJP ticket. However, after the elections, he returned to his original party, the Trinamool Congress.