TMC Heavyweight and Key Figure in Bengal ‘Defection Politics’ Mukul Roy Disqualified as MLA

Mukul Roy, a once-dominant figure in West Bengal’s political arena and a central character in the state’s era of high-profile defections, has been disqualified as an MLA by the Calcutta High Court. The ruling comes under the anti-defection law, marking a significant turn in the political journey of a leader who once held sway as a master strategist within the Trinamool Congress (TMC).

Roy, often referred to as the “Chanakya of Bengal politics” for his role in expanding the TMC’s organisational structure, has been bedridden in a Kolkata private hospital for nearly one-and-a-half years, largely absent from active politics. His frail health and long hospitalisation added another layer of complexity to the legal and political developments surrounding him.

In its ruling last Thursday, the High Court declared that Roy violated provisions of the anti-defection law after he won the 2021 Assembly elections on a BJP ticket from the Krishnanagar Uttar constituency but subsequently returned to the TMC soon after the results. His crossover, one of the most widely discussed political moves of that election cycle, had sparked debate over the increasing culture of defections in Bengal.

Roy’s shifting political allegiances were emblematic of a broader trend in the state during the period leading up to and following the 2021 polls. Having once been a founding member of the TMC and a close confidant of Mamata Banerjee, Roy defected to the BJP in 2017 and was projected as a crucial strategist for the saffron party. However, following the BJP’s defeat in the 2021 Assembly elections, he made a dramatic return to the TMC, fueling intense intra-party and inter-party tensions.

The High Court verdict now formally ends Roy’s tenure as an MLA and raises important questions about accountability, party loyalty, and the use of the anti-defection law in state politics. While Roy remains incapacitated due to his health condition, political analysts suggest that the decision could have ripple effects across ongoing disputes involving party-switching in Bengal.

With the seat now set to fall vacant, political parties in the region are preparing for a potential by-election while also reassessing the stability of their own ranks. The ruling stands as a reminder of the shifting landscape of Bengal’s political theatre—where defection, strategy, and loyalty continue to play defining roles.