West Bengal Elections 2026: Elections are happening in five states, but no election has higher stakes than the one in West Bengal, which goes for polling in two phases on April 23 and April 29. The high-octane
political battle will determine whether the Trinamool Congress (TMC) will retain power for the fourth time, or elect the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the first time in history.
Even before the election dates were announced, the state saw an intense political clash between the ruling TMC and the BJP over issues such as voter list revisions, allegations of illegal immigration, law and order, and other contentious matters. The outcome will shape the balance of power ahead of future national elections and test TMC’s hold in Bengal.
With less than a week to go for the first phase of elections, let’s check the constituencies and key clashes in West Bengal.
How Many Constituencies In Phase 1?
All 294 seats of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly are set to go for polls in two phases, and the results will be declared on May 4. The Election Commission of India has announced that the first phase will cover 152 constituencies in North Bengal and parts of central and western districts.
The 152 seats going for polls on Phase 1 are: Mekliganj (SC), Mathabhanga (SC), Coochbehar Uttar (SC), Coochbehar Dakshin, Sitalkuchi (SC), Sitai (SC), Dinhata, Natabari, Tufanganj, Kumargram (ST), Kalchini (ST), Alipurduars, Falakata (SC), Madarihat (ST), Dhupguri (SC), Maynaguri (SC), Jalpaiguri (SC), Rajganj (SC), Dabgram-Fulbari, Mal (ST), Nagrakata (ST), Kalimpong, Darjeeling, Kurseong, Matigara-Naxalbari (SC), Siliguri, Phansidewa (ST), Chopra, Islampur, Goalpokhar, Chakulia, Karandighi, Hemtabad (SC), Kaliaganj (SC), Raiganj, Itahar, Kushmandi (SC), Kumarganj, Balurghat, Tapan (ST), Gangarampur (SC), Harirampur, Habibpur (ST), Gazole (SC), Chanchal, Harischandrapur, Malatipur, Ratua, Manikchak, Maldaha (SC), English Bazar, Mothabari, Sujapur, Baisnabnagar, Farakka, Samserganj, Suti, Jangipur, Raghunathganj, Sagardighi, Lalgola, Bhagawangola, Raninagar, Murshidabad, Nabagram (SC), Khargram (SC), Burwan (SC), Kandi, Bharatpur, Rejinagar, Beldanga, Baharampur, Hariharpara, Nowda, Domkal, Jalangi, Tamluk, Panskura Purba, Panskura Paschim, Moyna, Nandakumar, Mahisadal, Haldia (SC), Nandigram, Chandipur, Patashpur, Kanthi Uttar, Bhagabanpur, Khejuri (SC), Kanthi Dakshin, Ramnagar, Egra, Dantan, Nayagram (ST), Gopiballavpur, Jhargram, Keshiary (ST), Kharagpur Sadar, Narayangarh, Sabang, Pingla, Kharagpur, Debra, Daspur, Ghatal (SC), Chandrakona (SC), Garbeta, Salboni, Keshpur (SC), Medinipur, Binpur (ST), Bandwan (ST), Balarampur, Baghmundi, Joypur, Purulia, Manbazar (ST), Kashipur, Para (SC), Raghunathpur (SC), Saltora (SC), Chhatna, Ranibandh (ST), Raipur (ST), Taldangra, Bankura, Barjora, Onda, Bishnupur, Katulpur (SC), Indus (SC), Sonamukhi (SC), Pandabeswar, Durgapur Purba, Durgapur Paschim, Raniganj, Jamuria, Asansol Dakshin, Asansol Uttar, Kulti, Barabani, Dubrajpur (SC), Suri, Bolpur, Nanoor (SC), Labpur, Sainthia (SC), Mayureswar, Rampurhat, Hansan, Nalhati, Murarai
Key Battlegrounds
Nandigram: It is a central battleground in West Bengal, with BJP’s two-time MLA Suvendu Adhikari defeating Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in 2021 by 1,200 votes. The TMC has fielded Pabitra Kar this year, a former BJP member once considered close to Adhikari, who joined Trinamool just hours before his candidature was announced.
Murshidabad: One of the rare seats where Congress has a visible presence. Murshidabad saw the highest number of voter deletions during the recent SIR exercise with 7.4 lakh names removed from the electoral list. Shaoni Singha Roy, who won the seat on a Congress ticket in 2021 and 2026, is expected to give a tough fight to incumbent BJP MLA Gauri Shankar Ghosh.
Kharagpur Sadar: Two prominent leaders – BJP’s Dilip Ghosh and TMC’s Pradeep Sarkar – will make Kharagpur Sadar a closely-watched electoral clash. Ghosh won the seat in 2016 before BJP’s Hiran Chatterjee narrowly clinched victory against Sarkar in 2021.
Dinhata: Dinhata in Cooch Behar district has witnessed intense electoral competition in recent years. The seat has seen a back-and-forth between the BJP and TMC. The ruling party’s Udayan Guha represented the seat from 2011 to 2021, when he was defeated by BJP’s Nisith Pramanik. However, Pramanik later vacated the seat, and Guha won the seat again in the subsequent by-election.
Asansol Dakshin: This constituency has also become a closely watched battleground. BJP leader Agnimitra Paul, the incumbent MLA from Asansol Dakshin and Vice President of the party’s West Bengal unit, will face Tapas Banerjee of the TMC, who has represented the seat from 2011 to 2021.
Siliguri: This constituency has emerged as a political flashpoint between the BJP and TMC in North Bengal. The TMC has nominated Goutam Deb, while the BJP has fielded incumbent MLA Shankar Ghosh as its candidate.
