Lights, camera & vote: TMC bets on celeb candidates again in 2026 Assembly elections

Kolkata: With the Trinamool Congress (TMC) declaring its candidate list for 291 Assembly seats for the upcoming polls, several celebrities have once again found their names in the list with party supremo, Mamata Banerjee placing her trust once again on them.

“There’s no challenge for those TMC workers who toil on the ground. BJP believes in fighting on social media,” Raj Chakraborty told Millennium Post without mincing words, moments after Banerjee unveiled candidates for 291 of the 294 West Bengal Assembly seats.

Although, the CM has placed her trust in celebrities, this time, the party seems to have taken a firm stance by betting only on those celebrity faces who have an understanding of grassroots politics. In fact, almost all the celebrities fielded by the TMC have exposure to governance and are not merely glamour faces to take on the BJP. Chakraborty has once again been fielded from Barrackpore, a bastion he won in the last election. Actor Soham Chakraborty has been shifted from Chandipur to Karimpur this time. On the other hand, actor Sayantika Banerjee has been fielded from Baranagar, a seat she won as an MLA in the 2024 by-elections. State education minister and acclaimed actor-director Bratya Basu will contest from Dum Dum North once again. Bengali singer Aditi Munshi, who won from Rajarhat Gopalpur in the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections on a TMC ticket, will contest from her bastion again.

The party has also introduced young faces such as actress Shreya Pandey from Maniktala. The CM has once again placed her bets on ‘Jol Nupur’ actor Lovely Maitra from Sonarpur Dakshin. Minister Indranil Sen, also an acclaimed singer, will contest from Chandannagar.

Theatre director Arpita Ghosh has been fielded from Balurghat Dakshin, while Arjuna Awardee heptathlete Swapna Burman will contest from Rajganj (SC) in Jalpaiguri on a TMC ticket.

“Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee have placed their trust in me. I hope the residents of Karimpur will see me as their son and not an actor,” said Soham. “I have worked for the people of Baranagar and I hope they will trust the TMC,” said Sayantika. Meanwhile, the BJP has fielded a few celebrities, including fashion designer Agnimitra Paul, actor Rudranil Ghosh, and cricketer Ashok Dinda.