The Trinamool Congress on Saturday announced candidates for 291 of the 294 seats in the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections, with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee set to contest from Bhawanipur.
She also said that the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM), led by Anit Thapa, will contest three seats in Darjeeling.
Mamata Targets EC, Predicts Big Win
Announcing the candidate list, Mamata Banerjee accused the Election Commission of playing a “fair game” on behalf of the Bharatiya Janata Party, saying it should campaign directly for the party.
She expressed confidence that the TMC would secure more than 226 seats in the 2026 Assembly elections.
No Return To Nandigram
Mamata Banerjee will not contest from Nandigram this time. She had lost the 2021 Assembly election from the seat to BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, before returning to the Assembly through a bypoll from Bhawanipur.
The TMC has fielded Pavitra Karkey from Nandigram. Karkey, who joined the party earlier in the day, was previously a close aide of Suvendu Adhikari and played a key role in his 2021 victory. She was arrested in 2021 in connection with the murder of a TMC worker.
Poll Schedule Announced
Voting for all 294 Assembly seats in West Bengal will be held in two phases, on April 23 and 29, covering 152 and 142 constituencies respectively. Counting of votes will take place on May 4.
Seats Left For Ally In Darjeeling
The TMC has left the Kalimpong, Kurseong and Darjeeling seats for the Anit Thapa-led BGPM.
In Murshidabad district, Mustafizur Rahman has been fielded from the Bharatpur seat, which was earlier held by Himayun Kabir.
Key Candidates And Social Mix
The party has named several prominent leaders as candidates, including Chandrima Bhattacharya (Dum Dum North), Madan Mitra (Kamarhati), Firhad Hakim (Kolkata Port), Kunal Ghosh (Beleghata), Shashi Panja (Shyampukur), and Jyotipriya Mallick (Habra).
Abhishek Banerjee said that of the 291 candidates, 52 are women, 95 belong to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, and 47 are from minority communities.
