West Bengal Elections 2026: BJP Releases First List Of 144 Candidates
BJP announces first 144 West Bengal candidates, including Suvendu Adhikari.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday released its first list of 144 candidates for the upcoming 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, signaling a major push to expand its influence in the state. The list includes prominent leaders such as Savitri Barman, Sukumar Roy, and Umesh Roy, alongside other seasoned party figures expected to play key roles in the polls.
BJP has made several high-profile nominations in crucial constituencies. Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari will contest from two seats — Bhabanipur and Nandigram — while former cricketer-turned-politician Ashok Dinda is fielded from Moyna. Shankar Ghosh will contest from Siliguri, and Agnimitra Paul has been nominated from Asansol Dakshin. Former state president Dilip Ghosh is set to fight from Kharagpur Sadar, reinforcing the party’s strategy to rely on experienced leaders.
In a strategic move to strengthen its presence in Kolkata, the BJP has nominated former Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta for the Rashbehari constituency. Meanwhile, in North Bengal, leaders like Shikha Chatterjee from Dabgram-Phulbari and Shankar Ghosh in Siliguri are expected to play pivotal roles in consolidating the party’s vote base.
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The West Bengal Assembly elections will be held in two phases, on April 23 and April 29, as announced by the Election Commission of India on Sunday. The polls follow the recently conducted Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list, a house-to-house verification process aimed at ensuring only eligible voters are registered. SIR has become a topic of political debate and also reached the Supreme Court due to disputes over its implementation.
Currently, the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) governs West Bengal and is seeking a fourth consecutive term. The party faces a determined challenge from the BJP, which has been actively expanding its organizational and electoral reach across the state in preparation for the 2026 elections.
The release of this first candidate list reflects the BJP’s strategic focus on fielding veteran leaders while targeting key urban and semi-urban constituencies, signaling an aggressive campaign ahead of a closely contested election in West Bengal.
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