West Bengal assembly election 2026: Mamata Banerjee, Suvendu Adhikari, other key candidates to watch

Voting for the West Bengal Assembly elections concluded in two phases on April 23 and 29, setting the stage for a high-stakes showdown between the BJP and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the battle for the Chief Minister’s post. With counting scheduled for May 4, political attention is now firmly on several closely watched constituencies that could play a crucial role in shaping the outcome.

Key battleground seats in this election include Bhabanipur, Nandigram, Panihati, Domkal, Kharagpur Sadar, and Hingalganj, where fierce contests, heavyweight candidates, and intense campaigning have kept voters and political observers on edge. 

As counting day approaches, the big question remains: can the TMC defend its stronghold, or will the BJP spring a surprise in one of the country’s most fiercely contested state elections?

DON’T MISS | West Bengal election 2026: Exit polls are out but how many times they got it right?

West Bengal assembly election result: Key candidates to watch

1. Mamata Banerjee: The Chief Minister of West Bengal is contesting from her stronghold, Bhabanipur, which has been her base since 2011. Here, Mamata will face off against BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, who defeated her in Nandigram in 2021. While Mamata is relying heavily on the Ghorer Meye (daughter of the house) image to make an impact, the BJP has tried to set a revenge-reversal narrative. 

2. Suvendu Adhikari: He is Mamata’s main opponent ever since he quit the TMC in 2020 and joined the BJP ahead of the 2021 polls. Despite TMC winning the 2021 election with a landslide majority, he defeated Mamata in Nandigram. This time around, he will face off against Pabitra Kar in Nandigram and Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur. 

MUST READ | ‘Andhera chhatega, kamal khilega’: Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s 1980 speech goes viral as exit polls favour BJP in Bengal

3. Firhad Hakim: He is again contesting from the Kolkata Port assembly seat in 2026. Hakim is facing off against BJP’s Rakesh Singh and CPI(M)’s Faiyaz Khan in the constituency. He has served as the mayor of Kolkata since 2018 and as a Cabinet Minister in the state government. As a cabinet minister, his portfolios included urban development, minority affairs and fire services.

4. Dilip Ghosh: He is the former BJP West Bengal president, who is known for expanding the party’s base in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. At present, he is contesting from the Kharagpur Sadar assembly against TMC’s Pradip Sarkar and CPI(M)’s Madhusudan Roy. 

5. Ratna Debnath: Contesting on a BJP ticket from the Panihati assembly seat in the North 24 Parganas district, she is the mother of the victim in the 2024 RG Kar Medical College rape and murder case. Here, she is facing off against TMC’s Tirthankar Ghosh and CPI(M)’s Kalatan Dasgupta. Her entry into politics came as a part of her quest for justice for her daughter and a focus on improving women’s safety in the state.

6. Humayun Kabir: Kabir has had a turbulent political career, switching between the Congress, TMC, and BJP before eventually returning to Mamata Banerjee’s party. A former minister in Mamata’s cabinet, Kabir was expelled from the party in 2025 after his Babri Mosque proposal sparked controversy. He has since launched his own party, the Aam Janata Unnayan Party, and entered the electoral fray alone.