17/03/2026
Within 24 hours of the announcement of the schedule for the assembly elections in Bengal, the BJP announced a partial list of candidates. Opposition leader Shuvendu Adhikari is contesting from Nandigram as well as the Chief Minister's constituency Bhavanipur. Dilip Ghosh will contest from his old seat again. He has been fielded from Kharagpur Sadar constituency. So far, the saffron camp has announced the list of candidates for 144 seats. The top leadership is relying on the MLAs who won in a few seats. Notable candidates include Agnimitra Paul in Asansol South, Shankar Ghosh in Siliguri, Rudranil Ghosh in Shibpur, and Sajal Ghosh in Baranagar. Most of the candidates in North Bengal are unchanged.