TMC to contest 291 of 294 seats in Bengal polls, confident of winning over 226, says Mamata
Kolkata: The ruling TMC on Tuesday announced its list of candidates for the upcoming West Bengal assembly elections, with party supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee declaring that the party will contest 291 of the 294 seats in the state. Addressing a press conference in Kolkata, Banerjee said the remaining three seats in the Darjeeling hills will be contested by Anit Thapa-led Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM). "We will contest 291 of the 294 seats. The remaining three seats will be contested by our ally, Anit Thapa-led BGPM, in the Darjeeling hills," Banerjee said, while announcing the names of candidates, flanked by the party's national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and state president Subrata Bakshi.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday announced the Trinamool Congress candidate list for all 294 Assembly seats for the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, launching a sharp attack on the BJP and the Election Commission while releasing the names.
- Habra: Jyotipriya Mallick
- Ashoknagar: Narayan Goswami
- Bhatpara: Amit Gupta
- Jagaddal: Somnath Shyam
- Barrackpore: Raj Chakraborty
- Dum Dum North: Chandrima Bhattacharya
- Barasat: Sabyasachi Dutta
- Bidhannagar: Sujit Bose
- Noapara: Trinankur Bhattacharya
- Rajarhat-Gopalpur: Aditi Munshi
- Rejinagar: Ataur Rahman
- Naoda: Shahina Mumtaz
- Domkal: Humayun Kabir
- Palashipara: Rukbanur Rahman
- Karimpur: Soham Chakraborty
- Shantipur: Brajakishore Goswami
- Ranaghat South: Sougata Kumar Barman
- Bagda: Madhupurna Thakur
- Bongaon North: Biswajit Das
- Chopra: Hamidul Rahman
- Islampur: Kanhaiyalal Agarwal
- Hemtabad: Satyajit Barman
- Raiganj: Krishna Kalyani
- Balurghat: Arpita Ghosh
- Harirampur: Biplab Mitra
- Gazole: Prosenjit Das
- Chanchal: Prasun Banerjee
- Maltipur: Abdur Rahim Boxi
- English Bazar: Ashish Kundu
- Sujapur: Sabina Yasmin
- Jangipur: Jakir Hossain
- Sagardighi: Byron Biswas
- Murshidabad: Sayani Singh Roy
- Khargram: Ashis Marjit
- Kandi: Apurba Sarkar
Before announcing the list, Banerjee said, "Before I announce the candidate list, I thank the people of Bengal. I dedicate Maa Maati Manush and Banglar Sanskriti to all, and release the candidate list of 294 seats. I want to say something to the BJP -why are you afraid? Don’t create a gas crisis if you want to fight; come to the ground in a proper way. ECI, you did a brilliant game… BJP has no chance. This time your seats will decrease as compared to the last time. This is the fight for the existence of West Bengal. Bengal will win. ‘Dilli ka laddu’ will not win."
Banerjee expressed confidence that the TMC would retain power with a comfortable majority in the 2026 assembly elections. "We will win more than 226 seats in the 2026 assembly polls," she asserted. The chief minister also sought to reassure party leaders and workers who could not find a place in the candidate list, saying they would be accommodated in the organisation. "All those who could not be accommodated in the candidate list will be accommodated in the organisation," she said. Targeting the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, Banerjee said the saffron party would see its numbers decline in the upcoming polls. "The BJP's tally will decrease in this election. They will receive a befitting reply for their anti-people policies," she said. The announcement of the candidates sets the stage for an intense electoral contest in West Bengal, where the TMC is seeking to return to power for a fourth consecutive term.