{{short description|Indian politician}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2025}} {{Use Indian English|date=May 2025}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Tathagata Roy | image = Own photo 1219 (white).png | caption = | office = 18th Governor of Meghalaya | 1blankname = Chief Minister | 1namedata = Conrad Sangma | term_start = 27 January 2020 | term_end = 18 August 2020 | predecessor = R. N. Ravi | successor = Satya Pal Malik | term_start1 = 25 August 2018 | term_end1 = 18 December 2019 | 1blankname1 = Chief Minister | 1namedata1 = Conrad Sangma | predecessor1 = Ganga Prasad | successor1 = R. N. Ravi | office2 = 16th Governor of Tripura | 1blankname2 = Chief Minister | 1namedata2 = Manik Sarkar<br/>Biplab Kumar Deb | term_start2 = 20 May 2015 | term_end2 = 25 August 2018 | predecessor2 = Padmanabha Acharya | successor2 = Kaptan Singh Solanki | office3 = 16th Governor of Arunachal Pradesh | term_start3 = 10 July 2016 | term_end3 = 12 August 2016 | 1blankname3 = Chief Minister | 1namedata3 = Kalikho Pul <br/> Nabam Tuki <br/> Pema Khandu | predecessor3 = Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa | successor3 = Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa | office4 = 6th State President of Bharatiya Janata Party - West Bengal | term_start4 = 2002 | term_end4 = 2006 | predecessor4 = Ashim Kumar Ghosh | successor4 = Sukumar Banerjee | office5 = Member of National Executive Committee, Bharatiya Janata Party | term_start5 = 2002 | term_end5 = 2015 | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1945|09|14}}<ref name="profile">{{cite web | url=http://rajbhavan.tripura.gov.in/gov_profile | title=Governor's Profile | publisher=Raj Bhavan ,Tripura | accessdate=21 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170909011544/https://rajbhavan.tripura.gov.in/gov_profile |archive-date= 9 September 2017}}</ref> | birth_place = Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India | death_date = | death_place = | party = Bharatiya Janata Party | relatives = Saugata Roy<ref>{{cite news |url =https://www.news18.com/news/politics/tathagata-saugata-roy-what-roles-will-ram-and-lakhan-play-in-the-2021-bengal-polls-2804513.html|title =Tathagata and Saugata Roy: What Roles Will 'Ram and Lakhan' Play in the 2021 Bengal Polls?|publisher =News18|date =20 August 2020 |website =news18.com|author =Sujit Nath|accessdate =22 August 2020}}</ref> (brother) | alma_mater = University of Calcutta (L.L.B)<br/>IIEST Shibpur (B.E.) }}
'''Tathagata Roy''' (born 14 September 1945) is an Indian politician who served as the Governor of Tripura from 2015 to 2018 and the Governor of Meghalaya from 2018 to 2020.<ref>{{cite web |title=Meghalaya State Portal |url=http://meghalaya.gov.in/megportal/government/keycontact/14794 |website=meghalaya.gov.in |accessdate=17 March 2020}}</ref> He has served as the president of the West Bengal state unit of Bharatiya Janata Party<ref>{{cite news |title=The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Nation |url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20021019/nation.htm#8 |accessdate=25 December 2019 |work=www.tribuneindia.com |date=19 October 2002}}</ref> and as a member of the BJP National Executive.<ref name="govsite">{{cite web|url=http://meghalaya.gov.in/megportal/government/keycontact/14794|title=Governor of Meghalaya|date=25 August 2018|access-date=26 February 2020}}</ref>
Roy briefly had additional charge of the office of the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh from July 2016 till August 2016, during which he handled the ouster of Chief Minister Kalikho Pul following a Supreme Court judgement, and swore in Pema Khandu as the new Chief Minister. An engineer by training, Roy is a former professor of construction engineering and the founder-head of the department at Jadavpur University.<ref name="govsite"/>
== Life and works == Tathagata Roy was born on 14 September 1945 in Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India (present-day West Bengal, India) to Debesh Chandra Roy and Anila (née Dutta).<ref name="profile"/> He had a distinguished academic career, having been ranked 6th in the Higher secondary examination of West Bengal Board of Secondary Education as a student of St. Lawrence High School, Kolkata and a recipient of the Jagadis Bose National Science Talent Search Scholarship. He studied Civil Engineering in Bengal Engineering College Sibpur (currently Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur), when it was affiliated with the University of Calcutta. Later he joined Indian Railways Service of Engineers.<ref name="bjptoday">[http://www.bjp.org/today/Jan-0103/Jan-0103ap21.htm Life-Sketch of Tathagata Roy, President, BJP, West Bengal], BJP Today, 1 January--15, 2003 - Vol. 12, No. 01.</ref> He worked as General Manager, RITES and as Chief Engineer - Design of Metro Railways, Calcutta.<ref name="bjptoday"/> He also holds a Law Degree of Calcutta University.<ref name="govsite"/>
Roy took voluntary retirement from the Railways in 1990. He then joined Jadavpur University as professor and founder head of the Department of Construction Engineering at its new campus at Salt Lake, Calcutta. He is a former Chairman Board of Governors of TTTI Calcutta (2000 to 2005). He is a fellow of the Institution of Engineers and life member of the Indian Council of Arbitration. He functioned as an arbitrator in a number of engineering contracts until he was appointed Governor of Tripura.<ref name="govsite"/>
Roy was felicitated as an 'Eminent Engineering Personality' by the Institution of Engineers (India) at the Engineering Congress held at Guwahati in December 2015 and awarded the distinguished Alumni award by Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur, formerly Bengal Engineering College Sibpur during the Second Annual Convocation of the institute on 4 March 2016. He was also conferred the degree of Doctor of Letters (Honoris Causa) by the Shri Jagdishprasad Jhabarmull Tibrewala University, Vidyanagari, Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan, at a special convocation at Mumbai in May 2016. He was further conferred the degree of Doctor of Engineering (Honoris Causa) by the National Institute of Technology, Agartala, Tripura, at the convocation in November 2016.<ref name="govsite"/>
== Politics == Roy was attracted towards Hindutva, the ideology of Hindu nationalism and joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in 1986. After leaving government service he joined the BJP in 1990. He replaced Ashim Ghosh as president of the West Bengal state unit of the BJP in 2002 and was succeeded by Sukumar Banerjee in 2006.<ref name="govsite"/>
Roy stood as a candidate for election to the Lok Sabha in 2009, standing in the North Kolkata constituency of West Bengal. He did not win. He stood as the BJP candidate in the Kolkata Dakshin (South Kolkata) parliamentary constituency for the 2014 Indian general election, earning 25.29% of the total votes polled.<ref name="govsite"/> He was appointed Governor of Tripura on 12 May 2015.<ref>{{cite news |last1=PTI |title=Tathagata Roy Sworn-In as Tripura Governor |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/tathagata-roy-sworn-in-as-tripura-governor-764735 |accessdate=8 February 2020 |work=NDTV.com |date=20 May 2015}}</ref> He was transferred and appointed Governor of Meghalaya in August 2018.<ref>{{cite news|title=Tathagata Roy sworn in as Meghalaya governor|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/tathagata-roy-sworn-in-as-meghalaya-governor/story-VRDvNral4ByFkrxvOR456L.html|first=David|last=Laitphlang|accessdate=8 February 2020|work=Hindustan Times|date=25 August 2018|language=en}}</ref> He served till December 2019 and, after a brief medical leave, again from January 2020 until 18 August 2020 completing his five-year tenure on gubernatorial post, handing over the charge to Satya Pal Malik.<ref>{{cite news |last1=PTI |title=Satya Pal Malik Appointed Meghalaya Governor, to Replace Tathagata Roy |url=https://www.news18.com/news/india/satya-pal-malik-appointed-meghalaya-governor-to-replace-tathagata-roy-2797255.html |accessdate=18 August 2020 |work=News18 |date=18 August 2020}}</ref>
== Governorship == Roy was appointed as the Governor of Tripura on 20 May 2015.<ref>{{cite news |title=Tathagata Roy Sworn-In as Tripura Governor |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/tathagata-roy-sworn-in-as-tripura-governor-764735 |work=NDTV |date=20 May 2015 |access-date=4 May 2025}}</ref> He took leaves from 20 September 2015 to 20 November 2015, from 15 June 2015.
On 27 August 2018, he was appointed as the Governor of Meghalaya, following the end of Ganga Prasad’s term.<ref name="Meghalaya_Gov">{{cite news |last1=Laitphlang |first1=David |date=25 August 2018 |title=Tathagata Roy sworn in as Meghalaya governor |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/tathagata-roy-sworn-in-as-meghalaya-governor/story-VRDvNral4ByFkrxvOR456L.html |work=Hindustan Times |access-date=4 May 2025}}</ref> He served until 18 August 2020.<ref>{{cite book |last=Roy |first=Tathagata |title=My Journey in Politics |publisher=Harper Collins India |year=2020 |isbn=9789389582547}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Patel |first=Ravi |title=Governorship in India: Political Appointments |journal=Indian Political Review |year=2017 |volume=22 |issue=3 |pages=113–129}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Governor Tathagata Roy Profile |url=https://meghalaya.gov.in/portal/governor |website=Government of Meghalaya |access-date=4 May 2025}}</ref>
== Publications == Roy writes extensively, mostly socio-political articles, both in English and in his native Bengali. He has been published in The Statesman, BJP Today, Desh (Bengali fortnightly) and several others. He has authored seven books:
*''Bampontha Bhayankari: Banglay o Bideshe'' (Bengali) (Mitra & Ghosh, Kolkata, 2020) * ''Bharatkeshari Yugpurush Syamaprasad'' (Bengali) (Mitra & Ghosh, Kolkata, 2018) *''Ja Chhilo Amar Desh'' (Bengali) (Mitra & Ghosh, Kolkata, 2016) *''My People, Uprooted: The Exodus of Hindus from East Pakistan and Bangladesh'' (Synergy Books India, New Delhi, 2016), earlier published under the title ''A Suppressed Chapter in History: The Exodus of Hindus from East Pakistan and Bangladesh, 1947-2006'', (Bookwell, Delhi, 2007) *"Syama Prasad Mookerjee: Life and Times", (Penguin/Viking, Delhi, 2018), earlier published under title ''The Life and Times of Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee'', (Prabhat Prakashan, Delhi, 2012). Also translated into Hindi under title ''Apratim Nayak Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee'' (Prabhat Prakashan, Delhi, 2012) *'' Tathagata Rayer Nirbachito Probondho Songroho'' (Bengali), Vivekananda Sahitya Kendra, Kolkata, 2008 *''Engineering Contracts in India: Law, Practice and Management'', (Bharat Book Agency, Calcutta, 1990)
== Family == Roy is the elder brother of Saugata Roy,<ref name="Roy brothers ToI">{{cite news |title=Roy brothers remain 'polls' apart |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/Roy-brothers-remain-polls-apart/articleshow/32571439.cms |accessdate=15 July 2018 |work=The Times of India}}</ref><ref name="govsite"/> the All India Trinamool Congress MP and former Minister of State for Urban Development.{{citation needed|date=December 2014}} He is married to Anuradha, who taught English at B.K.C. College, Kolkata.{{citation needed|date=January 2019}} They have two daughters, Malini (Roy) and Madhura (Khedekar), both of whom are married and live in the United States.
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{s-off}} {{s-bef|before=Padmanabha Acharya}} {{s-ttl|title=Governor of Tripura|years=20 May 2015 - 25 August 2018}} {{s-aft|after=Kaptan Singh Solanki}} |- {{s-bef|before=Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa}} {{s-ttl|title=Governor of Arunachal Pradesh|years=10 July 2016 - 12 August 2016}} {{s-aft|after=Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa<br/>''Additional Charge''}} |- {{s-bef|before=Ganga Prasad}} {{s-ttl|title=Governor of Meghalaya|years=25 August 2018 - 18 December 2019}} {{s-aft|after=R. N. Ravi<br/>''Additional Charge''}} |- {{s-bef|before=R. N. Ravi<br/>''Additional Charge''}} {{s-ttl|title=Governor of Meghalaya|years=27 January 2020 - 18 August 2020}} {{s-aft|after=Satya Pal Malik}} |- {{s-end}}
==External links== {{commons category|Tathagata Roy}} {{wikiquote}} * {{Twitter|tathagata2}}
{{Governors of Tripura}} {{Governors of Meghalaya}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roy, Tathagata}} Category:1945 births Category:Living people Category:Engineers from West Bengal Category:Indian civil engineers Category:Indian Hindus Category:University of Calcutta alumni Category:Academic staff of Jadavpur University Category:National Democratic Alliance candidates in the 2014 Indian general election Category:Governors of Meghalaya Category:Governors of Tripura Category:Governors of Arunachal Pradesh Category:Bharatiya Janata Party politicians from West Bengal