BJP announces second list candidates for West Bengal Assembly polls

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday (March 19, 2026) announced candidates for 112 seats, which included three former MPs, but maintained silence on the candidature of Abhaya’s mother.

On Thursday (March 19, 2026), the mother of the doctor who was raped and murdered at Kolkata’s R.G. Kar Hospital in August 2024 told media persons that she has informed the BJP leadership about her decision to contest the Assembly polls from Panihati seat in North 24 Parganas district. The BJP has not yet announced a candidate for the seat.

Assembly elections 2026 updates on March 19, 2026

The mother of the victim, popularly called Abhaya, vowed to defeat the Trinamool Congress government and said that the downfall of the Trinamool regime would bring justice to her daughter. The months-long protests in 2024 over the gruesome crime were one of the biggest challenges faced by the Mamata Banerjee government in its third term. Abhaya’s mother also targeted the CPI(M) leadership and alleged that the party leaders had used the death of her daughter as a political opportunity.

In the first list of candidates announced on Monday (March 16, 2026), the BJP announced 144 names; the list on Thursday (March 19, 2026) named 111 new candidates and changed one candidate. The party on Thursday (March 19, 2026) also changed the candidate for the Bishnupur Assembly seat.

Significant names on the list include three former MPs — former Rajya Sabha member Rupa Ganguly contesting from Sonarpur South in South 24 Parganas, Arjun Singh from Noapara in North 24 Parganas and Nisith Pramanik from Mathabhanga in Cooch Behar district.

The BJP has fielded advocate Koustav Bagchi from Barrackpore Assembly seat and another lawyer, Tarunjyoti Tiwari, is the candidate in Rajarhat Gopalpur. Both the seats are located in North 24 Parganas district.

The party seems to have placed its faith in the old guard by fielding Ritesh Tewari from Belgachia Kashipur in Kolkata. In central Kolkata, the BJP has fielded heavy weight candidates like the party’s West’s Bengal vice president, Tapas Roy, from the Maniktala seat and party councillor Vijay Ojha has been nominated from Jorasanko.

Rekha Patra, a woman leader who emerged from the Sandeshkhali movement, has been fielded in Hingalganj in North 24 Parganas. The BJP candidate for Behala Paschim is Indranil Khan, who is the State president of the BJP Yuva Morcha. BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari’s brother Dibyendu Adhikari has been fielded in Egra in Purba Medinipur district. Former police officer Rajesh Kumar has been fielded in Jagaddal in North 24 Parganas. The BJP has also given tickets to actor-turned-politician Hiran Chatterjee from Shyampur in Howrah. Mr. Chatterjee, a sitting MLA, had to vacate the Kharagpur Sadar seat for BJP heavyweight Dilip Ghosh.

The BJP has also given tickets to three sitting MLAs from the State’s Matua-dominated region. The party has fielded Ashok Kirtania from Bongaon Uttar, Swapan Majumdar from Bangaon South and Subrata Thakur from Gaighata. Former Bongaon district BJP president and Bongaon municipality councillor Devdas Mandal has been fielded from Habra. All four seats are in the North 24 Parganas district.

The party is yet to announce candidates for 38 seats. Elections to the West Bengal Legislative Assembly are set to be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29.