Bengal elections: TMC's 291-candidate list out, Mamata vs Suvendu in Bhabanipur
Ruling All India Trinamool Congress leaves three Darjeeling seats to ally Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha; Mamata says BJP's tally will decrease in this election
The ruling TMC on Tuesday (March 17) announced its list of candidates for the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections, with party supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee declaring that the party will contest 291 of the 294 seats in the state.
Addressing a press conference in Kolkata, Banerjee said the remaining three seats in the Darjeeling hills will be contested by Anit Thapa-led Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM).
Also read: Bengal elections: SIR row, two-phase polling dominate debate | AI With Sanket
"We will contest 291 of the 294 seats. The remaining three seats will be contested by our ally, Anit Thapa-led BGPM, in the Darjeeling hills," Banerjee said, while announcing the names of candidates, flanked by the party's national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and state president Subrata Bakshi.
Banerjee is not contesting from Nandigram, the seat she lost to BJP's Suvendu Adhikari in 2021. She will take on Adhikari, who quit TMC in 2020, in south Kolkata's Bhabanipur, widely considered her fortress. Adhikari, the Leader of Opposition in Assembly, will also contest from Nandigram. TMC has named Pabitra Kar for Nandigram.
CM confident of retaining power
Banerjee expressed confidence that the TMC would retain power with a comfortable majority in the 2026 Assembly elections.
"We will win more than 226 seats in the 2026 Assembly polls," she asserted.
The chief minister also sought to reassure party leaders and workers who could not find a place in the candidate list, saying they would be accommodated in the organisation.
"All those who could not be accommodated in the candidate list will be accommodated in the organisation," she said.
Targeting the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Banerjee said the saffron party would see its numbers decline in the upcoming polls.
"I want to say something to the BJP. Why are you afraid? Don't create a gas crisis if you want to fight; come to the ground in a proper way. ECI, you did a brilliant game... BJP has no chance. This time your seats will decrease as compared to the last time. This is the fight of Astitva of West Bengal. Bengal will win. 'Dilli ka laddu' will not win...," she said.
The announcement of the candidates sets the stage for an intense electoral contest in West Bengal, where the TMC is seeking to return to power for a fourth consecutive term.
Bengal elections will be held in two phases on April 23 and 29. The results will be declared on May 4.