Calcutta HC disqualifies Mukul Roy's MLA seat under anti-defection law

In a seismic ruling that reverberates through Bengal's fractious political corridors, the Calcutta High Court today disqualified veteran politician Mukul Roy from his Krishnanagar North assembly seat, invoking the stringent anti-defection provisions of the Constitution's 10th Schedule for his dramatic 2022 defection back to TMC after winning on a BJP ticket in 2021—a move that has long simmered as a flashpoint in Bengal's bipolar battles. The bench, led by Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya, not only upheld the petition filed by BJP's Suvendu Adhikari but also struck down the state assembly Speaker's earlier decision to shield Roy, declaring it "arbitrary and without jurisdiction," in a 45-page order that dissects the fine print of loyalty oaths and party switches.

Roy, once Mamata Banerjee's trusted strategist before his 2017 BJP sojourn and subsequent 2022 homecoming amid health woes and electoral whispers, now faces a bypoll in his constituency, potentially redrawing the lines in a region where Adhikari's 2021 victory over the CM herself still stings. This isn't just a personal ouster; it's a judicial jab at the fluidity of Bengal politics, where defections dance like Diwali diyas—bright, brief, and bound to burn.The saga traces back to March 2022, when Roy, stunned by rejoining TMC just months after masterminding the saffron surge that nearly toppled TMC, citing "personal reasons"

Adhikari who bolted from TMC to BJP, wasted no time filing a disqualification plea under the 10th Schedule, arguing Roy's flip violated the very oath he swore to uphold party discipline, a charge the Speaker Biman Banerjee dismissed in 2023 amid TMC's assembly dominance. But the High Court, sifting through affidavits and assembly records, found the Speaker's inaction "legally infirm," emphasizing that defection isn't a mere musical chair but a betrayal eroding democratic foundations—echoing Supreme Court precedents that demand swift Speaker accountability. For voters, it's a call to cleaner contests; for parties, a cautionary chord. With assembly sessions looming and 2026 polls on the horizon, Mukul's misstep might just melody into Mamata's manifesto rethink, proving once more that in politics, loyalty's the loneliest road.