Mamata Banerjee to Contest from Bhabanipur in 2026, BJP Fields Suvendu Adhikari for Direct Face-Off

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will contest the 2026 Assembly elections from her current constituency of Bhabanipur, setting the stage for a renewed political contest with senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Suvendu Adhikari.

Banerjee had lost to Adhikari in Nandigram during the 2021 Assembly elections by a narrow margin of 1,956 votes, before subsequently entering the Assembly through a bypoll from Bhabanipur in Kolkata.

The BJP has already declared Adhikari as its candidate from both Bhabanipur and Nandigram, signalling its intent for a direct high-profile contest. The move has also strengthened speculation that Adhikari could be projected as the party’s chief ministerial face in the state.

Banerjee’s candidature was announced on Tuesday as part of the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) list for the upcoming polls. Addressing a press conference in Kolkata, she said the party would contest 291 of the state’s 294 seats, leaving three constituencies in the Darjeeling hills to its ally, the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM), led by Anit Thapa.

Flanked by party leaders Abhishek Banerjee and Subrata Bakshi, the Chief Minister expressed confidence in securing a fourth consecutive term in office. “We will win more than 226 seats in the 2026 Assembly polls,” she said.

In the 2021 elections, the TMC won 213 seats, improving its tally and securing a third successive term. However, Banerjee’s personal defeat in Nandigram remained a notable outcome. The BJP emerged as the principal opposition with 77 seats, a sharp rise from just three in 2016, amid an aggressive campaign and the continued decline of the Left parties and the Congress.

Despite her defeat, Banerjee continued as Chief Minister, as the Constitution allows six months for the elected leader of the majority party to become a member of the legislature. She subsequently won the Bhabanipur bypoll by a record margin against BJP candidate Priyanka Tibrewal, securing her position in the Assembly.

Reacting to the BJP’s announcement of its first list of 144 candidates, Adhikari said he was confident of victory. “I will win both seats and defeat Mamata Banerjee again,” he asserted.

Banerjee also sought to reassure party members who were not allotted tickets, stating that they would be “accommodated in the organisation.” Targeting the BJP, she added that the party would receive a “befitting reply” for what she described as anti-people policies of the Union government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The upcoming Assembly elections are expected to witness an intense contest between the TMC and the BJP, with Bhabanipur emerging as a key battleground in West Bengal’s political landscape.