Khandaghosh Assembly Election Results 2026

Established in 1951, Khandaghosh disappeared from the electoral map briefly in 1957 before being revived ahead of the 1962 elections. It has participated in 16 Assembly elections so far. The Congress party won the first three elections before being overshadowed by the CPI(M), which has won the seat nine times, including a streak of eight consecutive victories between 1977 and 2011, while the Congress party’s tally stands at four victories. The Samyukta Socialist Party won the seat once in 1969, and the Trinamool Congress has emerged victorious twice so far.

Nabin Chandra Bag of the CPI(M) won the seat in 2011, defeating Alok Kumar Majhi of the Trinamool Congress by 13,147 votes. After three back-to-back defeats at the hands of the CPI(M), the Trinamool Congress took the poaching route to end its losing streak. Nabin Kumar Bag switched over to the Trinamool Congress in 2015 and won the seat twice for his new party. In 2016, he defeated CPI(M)’s Asima Roy by 3,202 votes. The CPI(M) faded away from Khandaghosh as Bag beat Bijan Mandal of the BJP by an increased margin of 20,886 votes in 2021.

Voting trends during the Lok Sabha elections in the Khandaghosh Assembly segment reflect a similar story of the Trinamool Congress consolidating its gains and the BJP replacing the CPI(M) as the Trinamool’s principal challenger. In 2009, CPI(M) led the Trinamool Congress by 32,517 votes. The lead flipped in 2014, as the Trinamool Congress led the CPI(M) by 22,651 votes. The BJP raced past the CPI(M) to occupy the second position without mounting a serious challenge to the Trinamool Congress, which led the BJP by 30,994 votes in 2019 and 37,646 votes in 2024.

The number of voters in Khandaghosh has shrunk by 6,417 post-2025 SIR exercise. The draft electoral roll as of January 1, 2026, listed 243,759 voters, down from 250,176 registered voters it had in 2024. Previously, it stood at 242,730 in 2021, 234,834 in 2019, 220,473 in 2016 and 194,922 in 2011. Scheduled Castes form the largest block with 40.25 per cent of voters, while the Scheduled Tribes account for 4.21 per cent and Muslims 28.60 per cent of the electorate. It is a purely rural seat, with no urban voters on its rolls. The voter turnout in Khandaghosh constituency has remained high and steady with 92.80 per cent in 2011, 89.18 per cent in 2016, 87.18 per cent in 2019, 89.81 per cent in 2021 and 86.34 per cent in 2024. The turnout tends to dip marginally during Lok Sabha polls.

Khandaghosh lies in the central part of Purba Bardhaman district in the flat alluvial plains of the Damodar River basin, with low-lying terrain and fertile soils ideal for intensive agriculture. The area is prone to occasional flooding from heavy rains and river overflows. Major rivers include the Damodar flowing to the south and the Ajay to the north, with tributaries and irrigation canals shaping drainage and water supply.

The economy is overwhelmingly agricultural with paddy, potato, jute, vegetables and oilseeds as primary crops. Some rural trade and small-scale activities exist. Infrastructure is rural with electricity, drinking water and basic markets, while road connectivity is good through state highways and district roads. Rail access is available via nearby stations on the Howrah-Bardhaman main line, with the nearest major railhead at Bardhaman Junction, about 30 to 35 km away, offering suburban and long-distance trains to Kolkata.

Nearby towns include Bardhaman, the district headquarters, at about 30 to 35 km, Memari at 25 km, Galsi at 15 to 20 km, Bhatar at 40 km, Kalna at 50 km, and Kolkata, the state capital, at 100 to 120 km via NH-19 or other routes. Other towns in Purba Bardhaman district include Durgapur around 60 km west, and Katwa, farther north, while adjoining districts feature places in Birbhum like Bolpur around 50 km north and Paschim Bardhaman areas to the west.

Given the Trinamool Congress’s huge margins here, deletion of 6,417 voters from the electoral roll may appear inconsequential in Khandaghosh. If any, it can only reduce the margins without playing any significant role in the outcome. The BJP’s only hope lies in deep penetration among the Scheduled Caste voters and spinning a compelling anti-Trinamool Congress narrative. Otherwise, despite the contentious SIR, Trinamool Congress is set to go to the 2026 Assembly election with a distinct upper hand in Khandaghosh constituency.

(Ajay Jha)