Tufanganj Assembly Election Results 2026

The Tufanganj Assembly constituency has participated in all 17 Assembly elections in the state since its establishment in 1952. In the early decades, the Congress party dominated, winning six out of the seven polls between 1952 and 1972. The Communist Party of India interrupted this run with a win in 1962. The fortunes shifted in 1977, as the Communist Party of India (Marxist) emerged victorious in seven straight elections up to 2006. The Trinamool Congress secured wins in 2011 and 2016. The BJP achieved its first victory here in 2021, when Malati Rava Roy defeated Trinamool’s Pranab Kumar Dey by 31,198 votes.

In a unique trend, all three principal parties – Trinamool Congress, BJP and Congress – have fielded a new candidate in each election since 2011. Trinamool Congress did not repeat its 2011 winner Arghaya Roy Pradhan, who had defeated CPI(M)’s Dhanonjoy Rava by 6,182 votes in 2016. Instead, Fazal Karim Miah was fielded and went on to increase the victory margin by defeating the Congress party’s Shyamal Chowdhury by 15,270 votes. 

BJP’s emergence was clear by the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, when it took the lead in the Tufanganj Assembly segment for the first time, with a margin of 7,486 votes. The party retained its lead in 2024, though the margin declined to 6,495 votes, while the Trinamool Congress continued as the main challenger.

Tufanganj had 245,696 registered voters in 2024, up from 234,311 in 2021 and 225,550 in 2019. Scheduled Castes account for nearly half of the electorate at 47.87 per cent, and Muslims form 18.70 per cent. The seat is predominantly rural, with 88.24 per cent rural voters and only 11.76 per cent in urban areas. Voter turnout has consistently surpassed 86 per cent, reaching 90.13 per cent in 2016 and a recent low of 86.88 per cent in 2024.

Tufanganj lies in the flat alluvial floodplains of northern Bengal, bordered by the Raidak River to the east. Other rivers such as the Daina, Gilandi, Duduya, Kumlai, Jhumur, and Bamni flow in the area, contributing to frequent flooding during the monsoon. The land is highly fertile, supporting rice and jute cultivation as principal crops, followed by potatoes, wheat, vegetables, pulses, sugarcane, maize and oilseeds. Pisciculture thrives in the area’s many rivers and ponds, and a significant section of residents are engaged in fish farming. The local economy depends on agriculture, small trading, and rural crafts. Infrastructure in Tufanganj municipality and adjoining blocks includes municipal and rural roads, educational institutes, banks, markets, and a community health centre. The area is connected by road and railway to neighbouring towns and serves as a local hub for administration and trade. The town has a tradition of folk culture, including the Bhawaiya song and Dol Mela. Tufanganj Madan Mohan Bari Temple attracts religious visitors.

Tufanganj is about 34 km east of Cooch Behar, the district headquarters. Alipurduar, a neighbouring town, is 29 km away, and Dhubri in Assam is about 41 km to the east. The Assam border lies very close, making the constituency significant strategically. Jaigaon, on the Bhutan border, is about 80 km north, and Phuentsholing in Bhutan is 86 km away. The state capital, Kolkata, is about 438 km from Tufanganj. 

The BJP enters the 2026 Assembly elections in Tufanganj with a clear advantage, having led in the last parliamentary and Assembly polls. Trinamool Congress will need significant effort to regain ground, as changes in candidate strategy have not always worked in its favour. The Congress-Left Front alliance faded to an all-time low of 2.86 per cent in 2021 and was not a visible factor in 2024, making this a direct contest between the BJP and Trinamool Congress.

(Ajay Jha)