New Delhi, Feb. 23 -- Veteran West Bengal politician and former Union Railway Minister Mukul Roy died in Kolkata in the early hours of Monday (23 February), according to family members and local reports. He was 71. According to available information, Roy suffered a cardiac arrest, following which he passed away.

Once regarded as one of the most influential strategists in the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), Roy's long political career spanned shifting allegiances, ministerial office and a protracted legal battle over defection.

Mukul Roy's son, Shuvrangshu Roy, confirmed that he breathed his last at Apollo Hospital, a private hospital in Salt Lake around 1:30 am, as reported by news agency ANI and The Indian Express.

Roy had largely...