The BJP announced its first list of 144 candidates for the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections after a Central Election Committee meeting.
Suvendu Adhikari will contest from Nandigram and Bhabanipur, while Dilip Ghosh, Agnimitra Paul and Swapan Dasgupta have also been fielded.
Polling for the 294-seat West Bengal Assembly will be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with results to be declared on May 4, 2026.
On March 16, 2026, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released its first list of 144 candidates for the upcoming West Bengal Legislative Assembly election, covering several key constituencies across the state. The decision was taken during a meeting of the party’s Central Election Committee held on March 12 under the chairmanship of party president Nitin Naveen.
The meeting was attended by senior party leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah, along with other members of the committee. During the meeting, the party finalised candidates for a large number of constituencies as part of its preparations for the upcoming elections in West Bengal.
Among the prominent names in the list is Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, who will contest from two constituencies—Nandigram and Bhabanipur. The Bhabanipur seat is currently represented by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, raising the possibility of another high-profile political contest. In the 2021 Assembly elections, Adhikari had defeated Banerjee in Nandigram.
The party has also fielded senior leader Dilip Ghosh from Kharagpur Sadar, while BJP leader Agnimitra Paul will contest from Asansol South. Former Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta has been nominated from the Rashbehari constituency. Other candidates include Ashok Dinda from the Moyna constituency and Rudranil Ghosh from Shibpur. The list also includes candidates from several districts across the state, including North Bengal, Murshidabad, Hooghly, Bankura and Purulia.
The election schedule for the 294-member West Bengal Assembly was announced earlier by the Election Commission of India on March 15, 2026. Polling will be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29, 2026, while the counting of votes is scheduled for May 4, 2026. The first phase will cover 152 seats, and the remaining 142 seats will go to the polls in the second phase.
In West Bengal, the election is expected to see a major contest between the ruling Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress and the BJP. The Election Commission said it remains committed to conducting the elections in a peaceful and transparent manner and has urged voters to participate in large numbers.
In the previous Assembly elections held in 2021, the All India Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee secured 215 seats, while the BJP emerged as the main opposition party with 77 seats.
The BJP is expected to announce the remaining candidates for other constituencies in the coming days as preparations for the elections continue.
[VP]
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