NEW DELHI: The All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Tuesday unveiled its list of candidates for the upcoming West Bengal Legislative Assembly Election 2026, announcing 291 nominees for the 294-seat Assembly. The remaining three constituencies in the Darjeeling hills will be contested by the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM), led by Anit Thapa, under an alliance understanding with the ruling party.
A major highlight of the announcement was that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will once again contest from her traditional Bhawanipur constituency, putting an end to speculation that she might enter the fray from two seats. The decision also sets the stage for a high-profile contest after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nominated Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari from the same constituency.
The candidate list reflects the party’s attempt to maintain social representation. Of the 291 candidates, 52 are women, while 95 belong to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Additionally, 47 nominees come from minority communities.
One of the notable exclusions from the list is former cricketer and state sports minister Manoj Tiwary, who has not been renominated. The party has also dropped several sitting MLAs whose performance during the previous term was considered unsatisfactory. Party sources indicated that the move is aimed at addressing anti-incumbency and introducing new faces into the electoral contest.
Among the prominent leaders named in the list, Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim will contest from Kolkata Port, while Shashi Panja has been fielded from Shyampukur. Senior leader Madan Mitra will once again contest from Kamarhati. The party has also nominated former journalist Devadeep Purohit from the Khardah constituency.
In another development, Rajya Sabha MP Kalyan Banerjee’s son, Prabhat Banerjee, has been nominated from Uttarpara. Meanwhile, party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh is set to make his electoral debut from the Beleghata seat.
Other candidates include Bratya Basu from Dum Dum, Sujit Bose from Bidhannagar, Narayan Goswami from Ashoknagar, filmmaker Raj Chakraborty from Barrackpore, and Chandrima Bhattacharya from Dum Dum North.
The list also features a mix of seasoned politicians and new entrants. Former MP Arpita Ghosh has been nominated from Balurghat, while Gautam Deb, Paresh Chandra Adhikari and Udayan Guha from Dinhata have also secured tickets. Former IPS officer Humayun Kabir will contest from the Domkal constituency.
While interacting with the media during the announcement, Banerjee launched a sharp attack on the BJP over the recent transfer of senior officials. Questioning the move, she said the opposition party should “fight in the open and hold public rallies rather than operate from behind the scenes.”
“All officials are our officials. The BJP stands no chance this time. Their seat tally will fall further,” she said, alleging that repeated administrative interventions were attempts to influence the electoral process.
Banerjee also criticised the reshuffle involving the state’s Chief Secretary and Home Secretary, warning that the BJP would be responsible if the law-and-order situation deteriorated. Without naming him directly, she also questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking why the Centre appeared “afraid” if it truly believed in democratic norms.
The Trinamool chief asserted that her party would secure a strong mandate in the election and highlighted that the state government had implemented more than 100 welfare schemes during its tenure. She further warned that these programmes could face funding challenges if the party did not return to power.
A political analyst closely following the Bengal elections told The Sunday Guardian that the TMC had exercised considerable caution while finalising its candidate list. According to the analyst, the party dropped several sitting legislators to counter anti-incumbency while maintaining a balance between experienced leaders and younger candidates. The inclusion of minority leaders also reflects the party’s attempt to broaden its social appeal.
Meanwhile, the BJP has already released its first list of candidates. On Monday, the party announced 144 nominees, including more than ten women candidates. However, the list did not include any Muslim candidate. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) has also announced 192 candidates in the first phase of its candidate list.
Earlier this week, the Election Commission of India declared the election schedule for West Bengal along with Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Assam and Puducherry. In West Bengal, polling will take place in two phases—on April 23 and April 29—while the counting of votes is scheduled for May 4.
