Nabagram Assembly Election Results 2026

Established in 1967, Nabagram has seen 15 Assembly elections, including a bypoll in 2000. It remained a general category seat until the Delimitation Commission’s 2006 order reclassified it as reserved, effective from the 2011 elections. For decades, the seat was a tug-of-war between the CPI(M) and the Congress, with the Communists winning nine times and the Congress thrice. An Independent candidate, Birendra Narayan Roy, added a dash of unpredictability by winning twice in 1969 and 1971. While Congress never managed back-to-back wins, CPI(M) enjoyed two long winning streaks – four consecutive terms between 1977 and 1991, and five successive victories starting with the 2000 bypoll, which was necessitated by Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury’s resignation after his election to the Lok Sabha.

Remarkably, CPI(M) held on to Nabagram even after its 34-year-long reign in West Bengal ended in 2011. Kanal Chandra Mondal, who won the seat for CPI(M) in 2011 and 2016, switched allegiance to the Trinamool Congress and handed the seat to his new party on a silver platter in 2021, defeating BJP’s Mohan Haldar by a margin of 35,533 votes. CPI(M), once the undisputed heavyweight here, was pushed to third place, while the BJP emerged as the second-most preferred party, a debut of sorts in Nabagram’s electoral theatre.

The BJP’s rise began in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections when it finished second behind Trinamool, which led in the Nabagram segment by 24,817 votes. In 2024, Trinamool retained its lead, albeit reduced to 19,638 votes, while the Congress-Left alliance staged a comeback, edging past the BJP by 3,162 votes. The Congress party’s resurgence, reclaiming over 10 per cent of Trinamool’s 2021 vote share, has added a new twist to the tale.

Nabagram had 251,378 registered voters in 2021, up from 239,311 in 2019 and 222,785 in 2016. Scheduled Castes account for 23.60 per cent of the electorate, Scheduled Tribes 5.64 per cent, and Muslims 53.20 per cent. Despite their numerical dominance, Muslim candidates have historically struggled to win here. Between 1967 and 2006, when the seat was unreserved, not a single Muslim candidate managed to secure victory. Even in 1996, when CPI(M) fielded Muzaffar Hossain, he lost to Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury by 20,329 votes, underscoring the complex voting patterns of the constituency.

Nabagram is overwhelmingly rural, with only 8.93 per cent of voters residing in urban pockets. Voter turnout has remained consistently high with 87.64 per cent in 2016, 81.16 per cent in 2016, 82.62 per cent in 2019 and 82.94 per cent in 2021.

Geographically, Nabagram lies in the Lalbag subdivision, straddling the Rarh and Bagri regions of Murshidabad. The terrain is mostly flat, with fertile alluvial soil enriched by the Bhagirathi and Padma rivers. The Padma, which forms the international boundary with Bangladesh, is notorious for its shifting course and frequent erosion, especially along the southern bank. Agriculture is the mainstay of the local economy, with paddy, jute and vegetables being the primary crops. The area has limited industrial activity, and employment is largely informal.

Infrastructure in Nabagram is modest. The nearest urban centre is Berhampore, the district headquarters, located about 25 km away. Murshidabad town, steeped in history and once the capital of Subah Bangla, lies around 30 km to the south. Kolkata, the state capital, is approximately 210 km away. Other nearby towns include Lalgola (35 km), Domkal (40 km), and Raninagar (20 km). Across the river, Rajshahi in Bangladesh is about 38 km from Nabagram, while Chapai Nawabganj is roughly 45 km away.

As the 2026 Assembly elections approach, Nabagram finds itself at the crossroads of a fascinating triangular contest. With no party wearing the favourite’s crown, the seat could swing in any direction. Trinamool Congress, though still ahead, must contend with the Congress party’s unexpected revival and the BJP’s steady rise. If the Congress-Left alliance manages to eat into Trinamool’s vote bank and the BJP consolidates its gains, Nabagram could well become one of the most unpredictable battlegrounds in Murshidabad. In a contest where margins are narrowing and loyalties shifting, every vote will carry weight.

(Ajay Jha)