Mamata Banerjee's Courtesy Visit to BJP MP Nagen Roy's Residence in Cooch Behar

On Tuesday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee made her way to the Borogila village in Cooch Behar home of BJP MP in the Rajya Sabha, Nagen Roy, also known as Ananta Maharaj.

After the visit, Mamata avoided speaking with reporters. Roy referred to it as a "courtesy visit."

"The chief minister gave me a shawl when he visited my house. The sight of my mansion overwhelmed her. We didn't talk about the most recent elections or politics. In reference to the most recent Lok Sabha elections, in which Trinamool ousted the BJP from Cooch Behar, Roy observed, "It was a courtesy visit."

Political insiders, however, said Roy frequently switched sides.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah met with Roy, the leader of the Greater Cooch Behar Peoples’ Association (GCPA), in Assam ahead of the 2021 Assembly elections. Roy is calling for the creation of a new state in Cooch Behar. However, Roy joined Trinamool after the elections and asked Mamata to the birth celebration of Rajbanshi legend Chila Roy.

But there was a growing gap between Roy and Trinamool. He received a nomination from the BJP to serve as a Rajya Sabha MP last year.

Roy has been separating himself from the saffron camp for the last few months. According to a Trinamool leader, "He expressed disappointment in his close circles with the BJP for not buying his demand for a Cooch Behar state."

Roy chose not to participate in the party's campaign ahead of the Lok Sabha elections and stayed at home. His faction's GCPA members refrained from participating in high-profile BJP campaigns and did not provide voting instructions to their followers. Political commentator: "This is one of the reasons the BJP lost here."

Rajbanshis, who make up about 40% of the population of Cooch Behar, have significant influence over poll results.

"Sitai will host the Assembly by-election since its MLA was elected as MP. Rajbanshi's backing is essential for TMC. Mamata's visit is noteworthy, the onlooker remarked.

Regarding the BJP, Roy stated on Tuesday: "I shall serve out my term in the Rajya Sabha as per the party's election of me. However, I have never received a call from BJP leaders to the district party headquarters. Rather, some people have disparaged me in a dehumanizing way."

"I represented the GCPA and was never involved in the BJP," he continued.

Mamata arrived in Cooch Behar that same evening after traveling to Siliguri on Monday evening to visit with the victims of the Kanchenjunga Express disaster near Rangapani station.

She met with TMC leaders on Tuesday morning, including the party's district chairman, Avijit De Bhowmik, Udayan Guha, the NB development minister, and Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia, the newly elected Cooch Behar TMC MP.

Three Assembly seats are held by the TMC and six by the BJP in Cooch Behar.

A party leader stated, "She told us to work together and set a target to win all nine Assembly seats of the district in 2026."

Mamata performed worship at the Madanmohan Temple Complex prior to her visitation with Roy. She remarked, "I offered puja for 'Ma, Mati, Manush's' well-being."

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