Khanakul Assembly Election Results 2026

Khanakul constituency comprises the entire Khanakul II community development block and eight gram panchayats of the Khanakul I block, lending it a typical rural character. It is one of the seven assembly segments under the Arambagh Lok Sabha constituency.

Established in 1957, Khanakul has gone to the Assembly polls 16 times with the CPI(M) being the most dominant political force here with nine victories, followed by three wins of the Congress party, two wins of the Trinamool Congress and one victory each of the Janata Party and the BJP. While the contests were confined initially to the CPI(M) and the Congress party, of late, Khanakul has become a battleground of the Trinamool Congress and the BJP.

It was a twin-seat constituency in the 1957 elections. The Congress party won both seats in 1957 and emerged winner when it became a single-seat constituency in 1962. The CPI(M) won all three elections during the tumultuous years of West Bengal politics due to repeated split verdicts between 1967 and 1971. The Congress party won the seat again in 1972, its last win here, followed by the lone victory of the Janata Party in 1977. Between 1982 and 2006, the CPI(M) won six consecutive terms.

Trinamool Congress had to endure two humiliating defeats at the hands of the CPI(M) by huge margins in the 2001 and 2006 elections before it finally succeeded in 2011, when its nominee Iqbal Ahmed defeated CPI(M)’s Subhra Parui by 27,879 votes. Ahmed retained the seat in 2016 with an increased margin as he beat Islam Ali Khan of the CPI(M) by 43,487 votes. Ahmed was replaced by the Trinamool Congress with Munshi Nazbul Karim on health grounds in 2021. BJP, which had been changing its candidates in every election, caused a major upset as its nominee Susanta Ghosh defeated Karim by 12,884 votes. The BJP’s rise in Khanakul is remarkable considering it polled mere 3.99 per cent votes in 2011 and 8.94 per cent votes in 2016, which shot up to 49.27 per cent in 2021, registering a gain of 40.33 percentage points over its 2016 performance.

Voting trends during the Lok Sabha elections in the Khanakul Assembly segment mirror the same shift in voter loyalty. In 2009, the CPI(M) led the Congress party by 36,597 votes. Trinamool surged to the lead in 2014 with a margin of 75,668 votes over the CPI(M). Its lead declined sharply in 2019 as the BJP virtually announced its arrival as a serious contender, as the Trinamool Congress led the BJP by 14,222 votes. The BJP followed up its win in the 2021 Assembly election by establishing a lead of 17,122 votes over the Trinamool Congress in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in this segment.

Khanakul Assembly constituency had 276,557 voters on the draft electoral roll following the 2025 SIR exercise undertaken by the Election Commission, marking a decline of 10,371 voters compared to 286,928 registered voters it had in 2024. Previously, it was 277,259 in 2021, 266,002 in 2019, 250,715 in 2016 and 219,432 in 2011. Scheduled Castes with 26.41 per cent voters are the largest voter bloc, followed by Muslims, who account for 21.30 per cent of voters. It is a purely rural seat with no urban electorate on its rolls. The voter turnout has remained steady and high with 84 per cent in 2011, 78.90 per cent in 2016, 76.05 per cent in 2019 and 78.60 per cent in 2021.

Khanakul has a rich historical legacy tied to Raja Ram Mohan Roy, born here in 1772 in Radhanagar village, where his ancestral home and memorials stand as key heritage sites. The area is dotted with ancient temples, including the renowned Jagannath Temple complex and other Vaishnava shrines reflecting medieval Bengal's devotional traditions.

Khanakul lies in the flat alluvial plains of Hooghly district in the lower Ganges delta, with low-lying terrain and fertile soils ideal for intensive farming. The area is prone to seasonal flooding and waterlogging during monsoons. Key rivers include the Rupnarayan and Dwarakeswar flowing nearby.

The economy is overwhelmingly agrarian with paddy, potato, jute, vegetables and oilseeds as primary crops, supplemented by some pisciculture and rural handicrafts. Infrastructure is rural with electricity, drinking water and basic markets available, while road connectivity relies on state highways and district roads. Rail access is through nearby stations on the Howrah-Bardhaman or Arambagh lines, with the nearest major railhead at Arambagh or Kamarpukur, about 20 to 25 km away, offering suburban trains to Howrah and Kolkata.

Nearby towns include Arambagh, the subdivision headquarters, at about 15 to 20 km, Chinsurah, the district headquarters, at 50 to 60 km, Tarakeswar at 25 to 30 km, Goghat at 20 km, and Kolkata, the state capital, at 70 to 90 km via NH-19 or other routes. Other towns in the Hooghly district include Serampore around 60 km east, and Haripal, farther north, while adjoining districts feature places in Purba Bardhaman like Bardhaman town, around 70 km west.

In the normal course, the BJP would have gone to the 2026 Assembly elections in Khanakul with a definite edge over the Trinamool Congress based on its strong performances in the 2021 and 2024 polls. However, deletion of 10,371 names from the voters list, which, if it remains largely unchanged, might upset all calculations. It is not clear yet which caste or community has been hit by the SIR. Assuming the names of Muslim voters have been struck off, the Trinamool Congress in such a situation would go to the polls with a handicap. It might witness further inroads into its Muslim vote base with the Congress party announcing its decision to dissolve its alliance with the Left Front and contest all 294 seats of West Bengal on its own, while the CPI(M) too would be eyeing the Muslim voters for its revival. The upcoming election for the Khanakul constituency would be interesting, and the Trinamool Congress would have to put its best foot forward to reclaim the seat from the BJP.

(Ajay Jha)