Mallick, popularly known as ‘Balu’ among party workers, told PTI in an interview that people’s verdict would be his answer to those who “tried to finish him off politically”.
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“My victory with a record margin will be the answer to the conspiracy that put me behind bars,” the five-term MLA said.
The Habra seat in North 24 Parganas district has emerged as one of the most closely watched constituencies in the 2026 assembly polls, not only because Mallick is attempting a comeback after spending months in jail following the Enforcement Directorate’s probe into the alleged ration scam but also because the BJP has turned the contest into a campaign centred around corruption allegations.
Mallick, however, brushed aside the charges and insisted that the case against him was politically motivated.
“It was a deep conspiracy by a political party, I don’t even want to take their name. There was no FIR, no case against me. Yet, I was kept in custody for months. When I got bail, I was shocked to discover there was no complaint against me in any police station,” he claimed.According to him, the timing of his arrest was aimed at weakening the TMC in the politically crucial Bongaon constituency in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
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“They wanted to keep me away during the Lok Sabha elections so that I could not work politically. Had I been active, Bongaon could have been won,” he said.
Mallick was arrested by the ED in October 2023 in connection with a money-laundering probe linked to alleged irregularities in the state’s ration distribution system during his tenure as food supplies minister between 2011 and 2021.
After spending more than a year in custody, he was granted bail by a special ED court in January 2025 on a personal bond of Rs 50 lakh.
The TMC leadership, however, retained faith in the veteran organiser and fielded him again from Habra — a decision that triggered political controversy, with the BJP accusing the ruling party of giving tickets to leaders facing corruption charges.
For Mallick, however, the election is less about personal vindication and more about reaffirming his political hold over a district he helped wrest from the Left more than a decade ago.
Mallick’s association with Banerjee dates back to the early days of the Youth Congress in the 1980s. Inspired by mass leaders such as Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi and Banerjee herself, the law graduate entered politics through the Congress students’ wing, Chatra Parishad.
When Banerjee broke away from the Congress to form the TMC in 1998, Mallick was among the small band of loyalists who followed her.
He first entered the assembly in 2001 from Gaighata and later shifted to Habra after Gaighata was reserved for Scheduled Castes, winning Habra repeatedly since 2011.
Within the party organisation, Mallick built a reputation as a formidable strategist before the ED investigation dramatically altered his career trajectory.
Yet Mallick insists that voters in Habra remain firmly in his support.
Campaigning aggressively across the constituency, he said the TMC had begun preparing for the election months ago.
“We started our preparations five to six months in advance. Our workers have been conducting door-to-door campaigns and taking Mamata Banerjee’s message to every household. Meetings are underway, and I will hold more. But the focus is not just on meetings. The real work is reaching every voter directly,” he said.
Mallick also sounded confident about the electoral arithmetic in the region.
“I am absolutely certain about my victory. The entire Bongaon subdivision will support us,” he said, predicting that the BJP’s prospects in the district would shrink significantly.
“In the last election, they won four seats in Bongaon and one in Barrackpore. But we have already wrested one seat. This time, I doubt they will even get two,” he said.
Mallick also dismissed suggestions that the TMC faces anti-incumbency after nearly 15 years in power.
“Mamata Banerjee has brought enormous development and never practised politics of revenge,” he said.
He claimed welfare schemes have strengthened household economies across the state.
“In many families, around Rs 6,000-7,000 comes through government schemes,” he said.
The Habra constituency itself reflects the demographic complexity of North 24 Parganas politics.
According to Mallick, nearly 80 per cent of the electorate are Hindus and about 20 per cent are Muslims, with the Matua community forming the largest segment among Hindu voters — a factor that has made the region a key battleground between the TMC and BJP in recent elections.
Asked about the SIR exercise, he said around 6,500 names had been deleted from his seat so far, though the final impact would only be known once the updated list is published.
Mallick also defended the leadership’s decision to drop 74 sitting MLAs from the party’s candidate list this time.
“Candidate selection is the prerogative of Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee. Everyone must respect the party’s decision,” he said.
“I am what I am because of the party. But one day, I will also step aside,” he said.
Reflecting on the party’s evolving leadership structure, he said Banerjee has already created “two generations of leadership”.
“Tell me which woman in India has led a political party continuously for 28 years… This is a rare achievement,” he said.
Mallick avoided commenting on Mamata Banerjee’s own electoral battle in Bhabanipur but expressed confidence about the party’s overall prospects.
“The TMC will win between 231 and 242 seats,” he predicted.
For a leader whose career has oscillated between political ascendancy and legal adversity, the Habra verdict may ultimately determine whether Mallick’s comeback becomes a story of political redemption, or merely another chapter in West Bengal’s fiercely contested electoral theatre.
