Lagatar24 Desk
Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has announced an ambitious target of winning 226 seats in the upcoming 2026 Assembly elections while unveiling Trinamool Congress candidates for most constituencies. The election battle is expected to intensify as Banerjee prepares for a direct political showdown with her former aide-turned-rival, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari.
Trinamool Announces 291 Candidates For Two-Phase Poll
Mamata Banerjee and Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee announced candidates for 291 seats for the two-phase Assembly elections scheduled on April 23 and April 29. The party decided not to contest three seats in Darjeeling as part of an understanding with the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha.
Banerjee will contest the election from the Bhabanipur constituency in South Kolkata, a stronghold where she has enjoyed significant electoral success in the past.
Suvendu Adhikari To Contest From Two Seats
Interestingly, Mamata Banerjee will not contest from Nandigram in Purba Medinipur district, the seat where she lost to Suvendu Adhikari in the previous election. The Trinamool Congress has instead fielded Pabitra Kar, a former aide of Adhikari who recently joined the party.
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party has announced its first list of 144 candidates. Suvendu Adhikari, currently the Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, will contest from both Nandigram and Bhabanipur. This move is being seen as a direct challenge to Mamata Banerjee.
War Of Words With Election Commission
Before announcing the candidate list, Banerjee launched a strong attack on the Election Commission over the transfer of senior administrative and police officials after the model code of conduct came into effect.
She alleged that officers appointed during the election period were selected in coordination with the BJP. Without naming Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar directly, Banerjee questioned the transparency of the decision and accused the authorities of trying to help the BJP during the election process.
Trinamool’s Target: 226 Seats In Assembly
Banerjee declared that the Trinamool Congress is aiming to win 226 seats in the Assembly election, which would be 11 more than the party’s 2021 victory tally of 215 seats. She called the upcoming election a crucial battle for Bengal’s identity and urged party workers to remain united.
She also assured leaders who did not receive party tickets that they would still be given responsibilities within the party organization.
