West Bengal's embrace of politics of pedigree: Dynasts crowd 2026 poll battlefields

Kolkata: West Bengal, which long mocked the politics of inheritance practised in other states and prided itself on producing leaders from campuses, unions and street protests, is witnessing an unprecedented rise of sons, daughters, brothers and spouses of political heavyweights across party lines in the 2026 assembly polls.

Across the political spectrum - from the TMC and BJP to the Congress and CPI(M) - a sizeable number of candidates come from established political families, marking perhaps the sharpest rise of dynastic representation in Bengal in decades.

For generations, Bengal projected itself as different from states such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, where surnames and family networks often shaped political fortunes.

From Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to former CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, and from Congress stalwarts Somen Mitra and Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi to Left patriarch Biman Bose, most of Bengal’s iconic leaders emerged through student politics, labour unions and street agitations. But that culture now appears to be changing.

The TMC has fielded the highest number of candidates with political lineage, but the BJP, Congress and even the Left parties, which once attacked “dynasty politics”, are no longer shying away from banking on familiar surnames.

“This election shows that Bengal is slowly shedding its exceptionalism. Dynasty politics was once seen as something that happened elsewhere. Now every major party in Bengal is practising it, though none wants to admit it openly,” a Kolkata-based political analyst said.

Bengal once produced leaders from college canteens, union rooms and street-corner agitations, but now parties increasingly prefer candidates whose surnames already carry electoral value, he said.

In West Burdwan, the TMC fielded former minister Moloy Ghatak from Asansol Uttar, while his brother Abhijit Ghatak will contest from neighbouring Kulti. In south Bengal, sitting Behala Purba MLA Ratna Chattopadhyay has been shifted to Behala Paschim, while her brother Subhashish Das has been nominated from Maheshtala, a seat once represented by their father Dulal Das.

The party has retained one of Bengal’s most unusual political couples -- Becharam Manna from Singur and his wife Karabi from Haripal. “With CM's blessings and the people’s support, we will win again,” Becharam said.

The generational shift is even more striking. Four-time TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee’s son Sirsanya Bandopadhyay has been fielded from Uttarpara. In Entally, veteran MLA Swarna Kamal Saha has made way for his son Sandipan, while Panihati will see Tirthankar Ghosh, son of sitting TMC MLA Nirmal Ghosh.

In Manicktala, the TMC has fielded Shreya Pandey, the daughter of late minister Sadhan Pandey and sitting MLA Supti Pandey.

The list extends further: Madhuparna Thakur, a sitting MLA and daughter of TMC MP Mamatabala Thakur, from Bagda; Vasundhara Goswami, daughter of former RSP minister Kshiti Goswami, from Purbasthali North; and Rituparna Addhya, daughter of former Bongaon civic chief Shankar Addhya, from Bongaon South.

Senior TMC leaders admitted that loyalty and an established network now matter as much as ideology.

“People may criticise dynasty politics, but elections are ultimately about winnability. If a candidate already has roots in the constituency through his or her family, the party sees that as an advantage,” a senior TMC leader said.

Another senior leader said the party increasingly preferred candidates who came with “a ready-made organisation, workers and recall value”.

The BJP, despite frequently attacking rivals over “pariwarvad”, has quietly built its own list of dynasts. In Purba Medinipur, it has fielded Dibyendu Adhikari from Egra. The younger brother of Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, Dibyendu’s candidature turns the election into another chapter in the expanding footprint of Bengal’s most powerful political family after the Left era.

The BJP has also fielded Pawan Singh, son of former MP Arjun Singh, from Bhatpara, while Arjun himself will contest from Noapara.

The party’s Matua face, Subrata Thakur, the sitting MLA from Gaighata, is the brother of Union minister and BJP MP Shantanu Thakur and belongs to the influential Thakur family. Shantanu's wife Soma, a BJP nominee from Bagda, is pitted against her sister-in-law Madhuparna of TMC.

In Baranagar, BJP candidate Sajal Ghosh is the son of former Congress heavyweight Pradip Ghosh.

“Politics in Bengal has become far more personality-driven than before. In such a situation, families that already have a political base get more importance,” a senior BJP leader said.

The Congress, struggling to retain relevance, has also fallen back on familiar bloodlines. Former MP Mausam Noor, niece of Congress icon ABA Ghani Khan Choudhury, is contesting from Malatipur after returning to the party from the TMC.

Calling her return an “emotional homecoming,” Mausam said she wanted to “unite the family and strengthen Ghani Khan Choudhury’s legacy”.

In Purulia’s Bagmundi, the Congress has fielded Nepal Mahato, son of former MP Debendra Mahato. Rohan Mitra, son of former state Congress chief Somen Mitra, has been nominated from Ballygunge.

In north Bengal, Ali Imran Ramz, better known as Victor, is contesting from Goalpokhar. He is the son of former Forward Bloc MLA Mohammad Ramzan Ali.

Even the Left, whose politics were once built on ideology rather than inheritance, is not untouched. The CPI(M) has fielded Saptarshi Deb, son of former minister Gautam Deb, from Rajarhat-New Town, while youth leader Dipsita Dhar, granddaughter of former MLA Padma Nidhi Dhar, is contesting from Dum Dum North.

Political analyst Suman Bhattacharya said the dynasty wave was being fuelled by the collapse of student politics. “There was a time when a district leader or student activist could dream of becoming an MLA. That ladder has weakened. In its place, parties are increasingly choosing dynasts,” he said.

“When campus politics declines, dynastic politics rise. Bengal’s universities are no longer supplying a new generation of political workers, creating a vacuum that influential families are filling," he said.