West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026 | BJP fields Suvendu Adhikari from Bhawanipur, Dilip Ghosh gets Kharagpur Sadar

CM Mamata Banerjee, who was defeated by Adhikari in 2021 from Nandigram, will have to face him again from her home turf.

Delhi: The BJP on Monday released its first list of 144 candidates from West Bengal, fielding Suvendu Adhikari from Bhawanipur, president Dilip Ghosh from Kharagpur Sadar, and former Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Das Gupta from Rashbehari seat in South Kolkata.

To counter Mamata Banerjee’s push to field names from the entertainment field, the BJP has also fielded former cricketer Ashok Dinda from Moyna, former actor Rudranil Ghosh from Shibpur, and fashion designer Agnimitra Paul from Asansol Dakshin.

The party has fielded Biman Mahto from Salboni, Sumita Sinha from Kanthi Uttar, Biman Ghosh from Pursurah in Hooghly district, and Madhavi Mahalder from Kultali in South 24 Parganas.

Anima Datta has been fielded from Palashipara, Lakshikant Sahu from Jhargram, and former reporter Santu Pan from Tarkeshwar.

Banerjee, who was defeated by Adhikari in 2021 from Nandigram, will have to face him again from her home turf.

Elections to the 294 seats in West Bengal will take place in two phases – April 23 and April 29. Counting will take place on May 4. The BJP, which is currently the principal opposition party in the state, won 77 seats in the states in 2021, managing to push the vote share to above 38 per cent. The TMC, which has ruled the state for three consecutive terms, won 215 seats.