Mamata Banerjee and Suvendu Adhikari Gear Up for 2026 West Bengal Assembly Elections

Upcoming Political Showdown in West Bengal

In the 2026 state Assembly elections, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will face off against Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari in the Bhabanipur constituency.

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) revealed its candidates for 291 out of 294 seats on Tuesday, confirming Banerjee's candidacy for the south Kolkata seat she has held since 2011, barring a brief period in 2021.

After narrowly losing to a BJP candidate in Nandigram during the last elections, Banerjee returned to the Assembly by winning a by-election in Bhabanipur. Adhikari, who was once a close ally of Banerjee, left the TMC in 2020 to join the BJP and currently serves as the Assembly's Opposition leader.

Adhikari will also run for election in Nandigram, where the TMC has nominated Pabitra Kar, a former BJP leader and Adhikari's ex-aide, who rejoined the TMC prior to the elections.

In a significant shake-up, the TMC has decided to drop approximately one-third of its sitting legislators, denying tickets to around 74 MLAs while retaining about 135 and reallocating 15 to different constituencies. This strategy aims to combat anti-incumbency sentiments after three consecutive terms in power.

The TMC has also allocated three seats in the Darjeeling hills to its ally, the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha.

On Monday, the BJP announced its first list of 152 candidates for the upcoming elections.

The West Bengal elections are scheduled to take place in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with results expected on May 4.

Since 2011, the TMC, led by Banerjee, has maintained control over West Bengal, while the main opposition has shifted from the Left parties to the BJP.

In the previous Assembly elections of 2021, the BJP secured 77 seats in the 294-member Assembly, while the TMC won 215 seats. The Left-Congress alliance, despite garnering around 10% of the vote share, managed to win only one seat.

Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls

The announcement of elections coincides with a special intensive revision of electoral rolls in West Bengal, where numerous voters are currently 'under adjudication.'

On February 28, the Election Commission published the final electoral roll for the state, which excluded over 61 lakh voters.

Approximately 60 lakh cases remain 'under adjudication' due to objections regarding their exclusion from the draft rolls released in December.

Names approved by judicial officers will be added to the rolls through a supplementary list.

On February 20, the Supreme Court mandated the appointment of judicial officers to assist in completing the special intensive revision of electoral rolls amid ongoing disputes between the TMC government and the Election Commission.

Four days later, the court permitted judges from Odisha and Jharkhand to be deployed to address claims and objections raised during this process.