Phansidewa Assembly Election Results 2026

Both the Congress party and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) have won the seat seven times each. While all seven victories of the CPI(M) came at a stretch between 1977 and 2006, the Congress party’s win preceded and succeeded by the CPI(M) long reign with five victories between 1962 and 1972, followed by victories in 2011 and 2016. The BJP opened its account with a victory in the 2021 elections.

Sunil Kumar Tirky gave the Congress its successes in 2011 and 2016, beating CPI(M) sitting MLA Choton Kisku by 2,237 votes and Trinamool’s Carolus Lakra by 7,074 votes. These tight contests set the stage for the BJP’s leap forward in 2021, with Durga Murmu defeating Kisku, who switched from the CPI(M) to the Congress party, by 27,711 votes. The BJP’s vote share grew sharply from 3.97 per cent in 2011 to 18.14 per cent in 2016 and then reached 50.89 per cent in 2021.

BJP’s win reflected its position in recent parliamentary elections. The party led in the Phansidewa assembly segment in 2014 by 4,911 votes, in 2019 by 53,261 votes, and in 2024 by 25,218 votes, with Trinamool Congress trailing in all three.

Phansidewa had 252,575 registered voters in 2024, up from 240,946 in 2021 and 223,613 in 2019. The seat is entirely rural, with no urban votes. Scheduled Tribes form the largest group at 30.61 per cent, followed by Scheduled Castes at 29.68 per cent. Muslims make up 17.01 per cent. Voter turnout is high and consistent. It was 86.32 per cent in 2021, 87.68 per cent in 2019, 87.91 per cent in 2016, and 87.49 per cent in 2011.

Phansidewa sits in the Himalayan foothills and is known for its tea gardens, stretches of farmland, and clusters of village homes. The Mahananda River flows nearby, supporting farms and daily life. Tea production, rice farming, and local trade drive the area’s economy.

The region enjoys good infrastructure connecting it to North Bengal and beyond. National Highway 31 passes through Phansidewa, linking the town with Siliguri, which lies about 24 km away, and with key hubs like Darjeeling, the district headquarters, 80 km north, and Kolkata, the state capital, approximately 550 km to the south. Local roads connect villages with market centres and tea estates, making daily transport easier for residents and workers.

Phansidewa has a railway halt on the Katihar-Siliguri route, with regular trains connecting to Siliguri Junction and New Jalpaiguri, two of the biggest railway stations in North Bengal. The nearest airport is Bagdogra, about 14 km away, serving flights to Kolkata, Guwahati, Delhi, and other major cities. Fulbari, on the Bangladesh border, is 30 km to the east; Kishanganj in Bihar is about 56 km to the west; and Islampur, a town in Uttar Dinajpur district, is 55 km away.

Across the last seven elections, the BJP has been in the lead in four, with the Congress party and CPI(M) leading in two and one poll, respectively. Both have since receded to the margins, despite contesting the last two assembly elections as allies. The Congress-Left Front alliance polled just 6.18 per cent in 2021 and 6.28 per cent in 2024. The Trinamool Congress has remained locked in second place in the last five elections but has not mounted a serious challenge to the BJP’s growing appeal. This political history places the BJP in a clear position of advantage heading into the 2026 Assembly election, with the party holding a definite edge over its rivals.

(Ajay Jha)