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The West Bengal Assembly election will be conducted in two phases.
A woman shows her inked finger after casting her ballot to vote in the first phase of India’s general election near the India-Bangladesh border at Durganagar village, Dinhata district of Cooch Behar in the country’s West Bengal state on April 19, 2024. (Photo by DIBYANGSHU SARKAR / AFP)
The Election Commission has announced the schedule for the 2026 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election. The elections will be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29, respectively.
The counting will be held on May 4.
Voters will elect all 294 members, with the current assembly’s term ending on May 7.
The final electoral rolls were published on February 28, following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
2021 Election Recap
The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), which won 213 seats in the 2021 elections, will face a strong challenge from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which holds 77 seats. TMC Chief Mamata Banerjee is seeking a fourth consecutive term as Chief Minister. Other parties, including the Congress and Left alliance, have not won seats in the last assembly.
In 2021, TMC secured 213 seats with a 47.9% vote share, gaining five seats compared to 2016. BJP won 77 seats with 38.1% of votes, an increase of 73 seats. Congress and Left were completely wiped out, securing no seats with a combined 7.1% vote share. ISF contested for the first time, capturing 2.9% of votes but no seats.
The 2021 election was held in eight phases between March 27 and April 29. Mamata Banerjee retained her post as Chief Minister despite losing from her Nandigram seat. She later contested from Bhabanipur assembly constituency and won the seat. The BJP emerged as the main opposition, while the Congress-Left alliance faced a complete defeat.
The 2026 West Bengal polls will be held alongside elections in Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry.
March 15, 2026, 16:26 IST
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