West Bengal Assembly Election 2026

BJP candidate Debangshu Panda secured a resounding victory in the Falta repoll, defeating his nearest rival by 1.09 lakh votes, the highest margin in West Bengal Assembly polls and dealing another blow to the Trinamool Congress, which suffered a rout in the elections.

Polling started at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm across 285 polling stations, including auxiliary booths. Counting of votes has been scheduled for May 24.

The Muslim vote bloc, almost taken for granted as rock solid by the 'secular' parties, delivered a shock departure from conventional behaviour in the just-concluded Bengal elections.

Without much to show the people during the West Bengal campaign, the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress made its social welfare schemes, like Lakshmir Bhandar, its major poll plank. Going by the BJP landslide, women of West Bengal certainly didn't care much about the bird in hand.

Mamata Banerjee changed her X bio as Suvendu Adhikari took oath as West Bengal Chief Minister. The update carefully avoided calling her a former chief minister.

The BJP's first government in West Bengal reflected a carefully balanced social and regional mix, with leaders from OBC, Kayastha, Matua, tribal and Rajbanshi communities finding representation in Suvendu Adhikari's cabinet.

The Jamaat-e-Islami saw a surge in Bangladesh in the February election, particularly along the border with West Bengal. The rise of the Islamist party seems to have resulted in voter consolidation for the BJP across the border. The West Bengal Assembly election results show that the BJP won several seats in pockets directly adjacent to the seats won by the Jamaat.

From DMK and Congress workers clashing in the streets to accusing each other of 'betrayal' - the bad blood between the parties is now out in the open. The trigger was the Congress's move to ditch the DMK and ally with Vijay's TVK.

Leading Bengal CM face Dilip Ghosh told indiatoday.tech that Mamata Banerjee turned "netas into goondas and goondas into netas," but said the BJP may later admit "useful" leaders. He called for Mamata's party to be uprooted, accused her of undermining democratic institutions, and said the party's priority would be restoring law and order.

TMC MP Mahua Moitra alleged that she was harassed by a group of men onboard an IndiGo flight to Delhi, who shouted slogans like "chor chor, TMC chor" and "Jai Shri Ram", while filming her inside the aircraft.

Bengal has entered a constitutional grey zone as the term of the current Assembly automatically ended today. A fiery Mamata Banerjee has refused to resign. The development has placed Bengal Governor RN Ravi at the centre of attention.

Suvendu Adhikari said his aide Chandranath Rath was killed over his association with him. He said the murder was premeditated, while the family sought swift punishment for those responsible.

Chandranath Rath, a close aide of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari was shot dead in a "pre-planned" ambush just days after the party's landslide victory in West Bengal. Adhikari lost a former personal assistant in 2013 and one of his bodyguards in 2018. He demanded a probe into his former PA's death, but the case remains unsolved.

Former TMC MP Jawhar Sircar has accused several party leaders, including O'Brien, of misleading Mamata Banerjee. His remarks have added to the party's internal strains after its poor show in West Bengal.

Suvendu Adhikari's personal secretary, Chandranath Rath, was allegedly shot dead late Wednesday night in North 24 Parganas district, in what investigators suspect was a planned and targeted attack.

Chandranath Rath, a close aide of Suvendu Adhikari, was shot dead in North 24 Parganas on Wednesday night. His killing has intensified political tensions in Bengal amid the volatile post-election atmosphere.

Clashes broke out in West Bengal's Canning West assembly constituency after sharp weapons were recovered from a TMC leader's office two days after the election results were announced.

Prince of Kolkata Sourav Ganguly is facing a fierce political bouncer, days after the BJP swept the Assembly polls in West Bengal. Ganguly's meeting with BJP's PN Pathak has triggered massive backlash. People are now attacking Ganguly over the visit and calling the 'Prince of Kolkata' "selfish and opportunist".

If you thought the violence against Trinamool Congress members in West Bengal was the handiwork of BJP workers, the leaders of the saffron party would want you to believe otherwise. The BJP says that TMC workers are attacking their party members to prove their loyalty to the victorious party. The BJP has barred the entry of TMC opportunists.

The Durga Temple in Asansol's Bastin Bazar has reopened after 15 years following BJP candidate Krishnendu Mukherjee's poll promise. Tight security and central forces have been deployed as devotees return amid post-poll tension in West Bengal.

Post-poll violence in West Bengal continued for a second day, with killings, arson and vandalism reported across several districts. The clashes triggered rival accusations, police deployment and an Election Commission order for zero tolerance.

The Poriborton wave in West Bengal might have delivered a landslide to the BJP, but on the ground, claims and reports of murder, violence, arson and vandalism directed towards Trinamool Congress's leaders and assets have surfaced. This tells the all-too-familiar story of post-poll violence in Bengal under the nose of thousands of CAPF personnel.

BJP supporters in Barasat allegedly demolished the Masjid Bari Road nameplate and replaced it with Netaji Pally Road hours after the party took power in West Bengal. The move, cheered locally and defended by a BJP leader as a long-standing demand, came after the party's upset win in the Barasat seat.

The development came after Dushyant Nariala, the Chief Secretary of West Bengal, issued an order asking all departmental secretariats and the heads of offices to ensure that all the files are maintained properly.

Mahua Moitra responded to the BJP's sweep in Bengal, saying her party fought against unimaginable odds on an uneven pitch. She also acknowledged the will of the people, framing her reaction around both the contest and the verdict.