BJP Candidate List West Bengal Election 2026: The political atmosphere in West Bengal heated up on Sunday after the Bharatiya Janata Party released its first list of 144 candidates for the upcoming state assembly elections. The announcement immediately drew attention because senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari has been nominated from two crucial constituencies — Nandigram and Bhabanipur.
Bhabanipur is currently represented by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, which means the seat could witness one of the most high-profile political battles of the election. The BJP’s move is widely seen as a strategic decision aimed at challenging the ruling All India Trinamool Congress in one of its strongest urban constituencies.
Suvendu Adhikari is already a sitting BJP MLA from Nandigram and serves as the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly. His rivalry with Mamata Banerjee has been one of the defining political storylines in Bengal over the past few years. In the 2021 Assembly election, Adhikari defeated Banerjee in Nandigram by around 2,000 votes in a dramatic contest that captured national attention. Following that defeat, Mamata Banerjee later contested a by-election from Bhabanipur and secured a comfortable victory to return to the Assembly.
By fielding Adhikari from Bhabanipur as well, the BJP has clearly signaled its intention to turn the constituency into a major political battleground in the 2026 election. Political analysts believe the contest could become one of the most closely watched races in the country.
Apart from Adhikari, the BJP has nominated several prominent faces from politics, sports, and the entertainment industry in its first candidate list. Former West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh will contest from Kharagpur Sadar, while party leader Agnimitra Paul has been fielded from Asansol Dakshin. Former Indian cricketer Ashok Dinda has been nominated from Moyna, and actor Rudranil Ghosh will contest from Shibpur. Political commentator-turned-politician Swapan Dasgupta has been named as the party’s candidate from Rashbehari.
The candidate list covers constituencies across north Bengal, south Bengal, and key urban regions, reflecting the BJP’s attempt to strengthen its electoral presence across the state. Many regional leaders and new faces have also been included in the list, suggesting the party’s effort to broaden its grassroots appeal ahead of the polls.
The West Bengal Assembly Election 2026 will be conducted in two phases. The first phase will cover 152 constituencies across 16 districts, with polling scheduled for April 23. The notification for this phase will be issued on March 30, while the last date for filing nominations will be April 6. The scrutiny of nominations will take place on April 7 and the final date for withdrawal of candidatures is April 9.
The second phase will cover 142 constituencies across seven districts and will take place on April 29. The notification for this phase will be issued on April 2. Candidates will be able to file nominations until April 9, while scrutiny will take place on April 10. The last date for withdrawal of nominations will be April 13.
The counting of votes for all constituencies is scheduled for May 4, when the political fate of parties and candidates across the state will be decided.
The upcoming election is expected to be a major political showdown between the ruling All India Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee and the Bharatiya Janata Party, which has steadily expanded its influence in the state over the last decade. While the BJP is aiming to convert its growing vote share into seats, the TMC is determined to retain power and extend Mamata Banerjee’s strong electoral record in Bengal.
With heavyweight leaders entering the contest and several key constituencies already turning into high-stakes battlegrounds, the West Bengal Assembly Election 2026 is shaping up to be one of the most closely watched political contests in India.
BJP Leaders in the Candidate List
| Constituency | Candidate |
|---|---|
| Coochbehar Uttar (SC) | Sukumar Roy |
| Sitalkuchi (SC) | Savitri Barman |
| Dinhata | Ajay Roy |
| Tufanganj | Malati Rava Roy |
| Kumargram (ST) | Manoj Kumar Oraon |
| Kalchini (ST) | Bishal Lama |
| Alipurduars | Paritosh Das |
| Falakata (SC) | Deepak Barman |
| Dabgram-Phulbari | Sikha Chatterjee |
| Nagrakata (ST) | Puna Bhengra |
| Matigara-Naxalbari (SC) | Anandamay Barman |
| Siliguri | Dr. Shankar Ghosh |
| Phansidewa (ST) | Durga Murmu |
| Goalpokhar | Sarjit Biswas |
| Chakulia | Manoj Jain |
| Karandighi | Adv. Biraj Biswas |
| Kaliaganj (SC) | Utpal Maharaj |
| Raiganj | Kaushik Chowdhury |
| Kushmandi (SC) | Tapas Chandra Roy |
| Kumarganj | Suvendu Sarkar |
| Balurghat | Bidyut Roy |
| Tapan (ST) | Budhrai Tudu |
| Gangarampur (SC) | Satyendra Nath Rai |
| Harirampur | Debabrata Majumder |
| Habibpur (ST) | Joyel Murmu |
| Gazole (SC) | Chinmoy Deb Barman |
| Chanchal | Ratan Das |
| Malatipur | Ashish Das |
| Ratua | Abhishek Singhania |
| Manikchak | Gaur Chandra Mandal |
| Maldaha (SC) | Gopal Chandra Saha |
| Mothabari | Nibaran Ghosh |
| Sujapur | Abhiraj Chaudhary |
| Suti | Mahabir Ghosh |
| Raghunathganj | Surjit Poddar |
| Lalgola | Amar Kumar Das |
| Bhagawangola | Bhaskar Sarkar |
| Murshidabad | Gouri Sankar Ghosh |
| Rejinagar | Bapan Ghosh |
| Beldanga | Bharat Kumar Jhawar |
| Baharampur | Subrata Maitra |
| Hariharpara | Tanmoy Biswas |
| Nowda | Rana Mandal |
| Domkal | Nanda Dulal Pal |
| Jalangi | Naba Kumar Sarkar |
| Karimpur | Samarendranath Ghosh |
| Palashipara | Anima Dutta |
| Kaliganj | Bapan Ghosh |
| Ranaghat Uttar Paschim | Parthasarathi Chatterjee |
| Ranaghat Uttar Purba (SC) | Ashim Biswas |
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Key High-Profile Seats
| Constituency | Candidate |
|---|---|
| Bhabanipur | Suvendu Adhikari |
| Nandigram | Suvendu Adhikari |
| Rashbehari | Swapan Dasgupta |
| Shibpur | Rudranil Ghosh |
| Moyna | Ashok Dinda |
| Kharagpur Sadar | Dilip Ghosh |
| Asansol Dakshin | Agnimitra Paul |