Before polls, Mamata awards Bengal's highest civilian award to a BJP MP. Who's he?

Months before the West Bengal Assembly elections in April-May, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday, shared stage with 25 distinguished personalities in Kolkata's Deshapriya Park. Among the 25 personalities, which included singers like Nachiketa Chakraborty, Lopamudra Mitra, Babul Supriyo and Iman Chakraborty, was a BJP MP.

On the occasion of Mother Language Day on Saturday, the personalities including BJP MP Nagen Roy, also known as Ananta Maharaj, were conferred West Bengal's highest civilian honour, the Banga Vibhushan.

The optics of the event triggered political speculation as Nagen Roy is a Rajya Sabha MP and was nominated by the BJP to the Council of States in 2023. The optics are important because Roy is a prominent leader of the Rajbanshi community in North Bengal, where Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress has struggled and the BJP has excelled in recent elections.

With the Assembly elections approaching, the award to Roy, who is called Ananta Maharaj by his community members, has triggered speculation.

BJP MP CONFERRED WEST BENGAL'S HIGHEST CIVILIAN AWARD

Mamata Banerjee on Saturday honoured 25 distinguished personalities with the Banga Bhushan and Banga Vibhushan awards. These honours are given for exceptional contributions to art, culture, literature, public administration, and public service, reported news agency PTI.

Nagen Roy has been conferred the Banga Vibhushan, the state's highest civilian award. Mamata Banerjee presented him with a ceremonial stole and citation.

"It gives us pleasure to give Ananta Maharaj this award for his role in propagating Rajbanshi language and culture. We want him to continue working for the Rajbanshi community and society at large," Mamata was quoted as saying by Kolkata-based English daily, The Telegraph. She also outlined the Trinamool Congress government's initiatives for the Rajbanshi community.

Speaking to journalists after the programme, Roy said he had never thought of getting the award. "I never even dreamt of it," he said.

When asked to discuss his contributions, Roy said, "I used to write Hindi poetry, and I still do. I wrote a book called Adhikari Darshan Jyoti, which documents all the customs of the Rajbanshi community, like marriages, shraddh ceremonies, annaprashan, festivals. Everything follows that book. I also wrote Kamata Kavya and a book on music. I have helped around 70-75 children become lawyers, and I am coaching about 40% of them to become IAS and IPS officers".

While speculation began about whether Roy might switch sides ahead of the elections, he dismissed them, saying, "Have I joined any party? Did I join any party? No. Is there any chance now? I have no interest in this".

WHO IS BJP MP NAGEN ROY, AKA ANANTA MAHARAJ?

Nagen Roy is a Rajya Sabha MP who was nominated by the BJP in 2023. He is widely known as Ananta Maharaj among members of the Rajbanshi community. The title "Maharaj" has been conferred on him by the community.

According to the 2011 Census, the Rajbanshi population is around 3.3 million. The community has a significant presence in parts of northern and central Bengal, and Assam, including districts such as Cachar, Jalpaiguri, Uttar Dinajpur, Darjeeling, Malda, and Murshidabad.

Roy has long been associated with the demand for a separate Cooch Behar state, carved out of districts in North Bengal and parts of Assam. He leads the Greater Cooch Behar People's Association.

His influence within the Rajbanshi community is considered significant. Political observers in Bengal often say that the community's vote tends to follow his public stand.

When he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the BJP in 2023, he did not clearly state whether he would continue to press the separate statehood demand.

STRATEGIC TIMINING OF BANGA VIBHUSHAB AWARD TO BJP'S NAGEN ROY

The award has drawn attention because of the timing. Assembly elections are due in West Bengal in the months of April and May. The Trinamool Congress has been in power for 15 years and the BJP has emerged as its main opponent in recent years. In North Bengal, where the Rajbanshi community holds electoral significance, the TMC has faced challenges in the region. In several recent elections, the BJP has performed better in the seats of North Bengal.

Nagen Roy was once considered close to the TMC. Later, he aligned with the BJP. In 2024, Mamata Banerjee visited his residence, which had drawn significant attention.

More recently, Roy had publicly expressed dissatisfaction over the implementation of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal. He said the manner in which the Election Commission was implementing SIR was causing difficulties for members of the Rajbanshi community, reported AajTak, India Today Digital's sister portal, in December 2025.

India Today Digital's sister portal, The Lallantop, reported that Roy's name was not initially on the Banga Vibhushan list and was later handwritten into it. However, there has been no official confirmation of this claim.

Irrespective, the award is a significant gesture. With the Rajbanshi community playing a decisive role in parts of North Bengal, the move might carry electoral calculations. For now, Roy remains a BJP MP. He has publicly denied any interest in changing parties.

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