Congress Releases 284-Candidate List for 2026 Bengal Polls; Chowdhury to Contest Baharampur
Congress Releases 284-Candidate List for 2026 Bengal Polls; Chowdhury to Contest Baharampur
Congress unveils its first list of 284 candidates for the 2026 Bengal polls, featuring 39 women, 68 SC and 16 ST nominees, and naming Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury from Baharampur.
The Congress on Tuesday released its first list of 284 candidates for the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, emphasizing representation with 39 women, 68 Scheduled Caste (SC) nominees and 16 Scheduled Tribe (ST) nominees. A prominent entry is Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, a five-time MP from Berhampore, who will now contest from the Baharampur assembly seat after losing the Berhampore Lok Sabha seat in 2024 to Yusuf Pathan of the Trinamool Congress. Chowdhury, describing himself as an “old soldier” for the party, said he would contest if the party asked him to.
Mausam Benazir Noor, who won the Malda North Lok Sabha seat for Congress in 2009 and 2014, returned to the party in January this year after a stint with the TMC and will contest Malatipur in Malda district. Noor had been a Rajya Sabha member during her TMC tenure before resigning from Parliament.
Rohan Mitra, son of late Congress leader Somen Mitra, is slated to contest Ballygunge in south Kolkata, underscoring the slate’s blend of established leaders and new faces in key urban constituencies. The party also announced the end of its electoral understanding with the Left Front, signaling a shift in alliance dynamics ahead of the polls.
Overall, the list signals Congress’s effort to balance experience with refreshing representation, particularly aiming to strengthen the party’s presence in both urban and rural segments while highlighting gender and marginalized-group representation. The rollout lays the groundwork for what party officials hope will be a competitive strategy in the 2026 Bengal elections.
