Former TMC MLA Tapas Roy, BJP Candidate From Kolkata Uttar Constituency (image-facebook/Tapas Roy)

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded Tapas Roy, former minister of State for Planning and Statistics in West Bengal as its candidate from Kolkata Uttar constituency. The BJP leader just days after tendering his resignation as a Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA and quitting from the Mamata Banerjee-led party, senior West Bengal leader joined the saffron party. 

Roy is a five-time MLA, four times with the TMC and once with the Congress. Roy has also served as the deputy chief whip of the TMC in the Assembly and also as the president of the party’s Dumdum-Barrackpore organisational district. 

Roy’s decision to resign from the post came just days before the Lok Sabha election following an Enforcement Directorate (ED) raid at his residence. After submitting resignation to Speaker Biman Banerjee, Roy expressed “deep disappointment and hurt” with TMC and its supremo Mamata Banerjee for “deserting him during tiring circumstances”. 

After the raid, the party did not stand by him and none of the senior leaders including the party supremo Mamata Banerjee called him even once, the former TMC leader stated. Meanwhile, the TMC slammed Roy for joining the BJP and alleged that he had decided to escape from ED and CBI probes. 

Roy was elected as the MLA on the Congress ticket in 1996 from the Vidyasagar Assembly constituency. Roy was elected as a legislator of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly in 2001, 2011, 2016 and 2021. Later, he moved to Baranagar Assembly constituency in North 24 Paraganas district in 2011 and has been a TMC legislator from the seat since then. 

Tapas Roy”s name was included in the fifth candidate list of BJP.