Mamata Banerjee vs Subendu Adhikari (AI IMAGE)
WEST BENGAL ELECTIONS: An election of the West Bengal Assembly is now over with a tightly managed two-phase polling exercise that has set the stage for the results, which may have a significant impact on the political landscape of this state. The elections were conducted in all 294 constituencies under the supervision of the Election Commission of India, with a majority mark of 148 seats to form the government.
On April 23 and April 29, polling was conducted in geographically and politically diverse areas, with a sensitive area such as the Junglemahal belt, northern districts, and the urban centres of Kolkata. The staggered schedule allowed for high levels of security presence and easy voter turnout, with high turnout reported in both phases.
Now the focus is on the result day when early trends, constituency-wise leads, and final results will be known to determine the next government in West Bengal. Results will be anticipated by the evening, using the normal counting processes.
The West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026 have come to an end, with voting in the two stages having finished and all attention now focused on the vote tallying process that is expected on May 4. The major election being fought is that of Bhabanipur, which is contested by the incumbent Mamata Banerjee against Suvendu Adhikari, who used to be Mamata’s aide.
This seat has become more of a status issue for Mamata, since it was previously a seat under the control of her party, Trinamool Congress. In the last Assembly polls of 2021, Shovandeb Chattopadhyay defeated BJP candidate Rudranil Ghosh here.
Mamata Banerjee is an Indian politician who has been the Chief Minister of West Bengal since 2011. She is the founder and chief of the political party All India Trinamool Congress. She has been known for her mass contact and firebrand politics. She started her career in student politics and went on to become one of the most prominent regional leaders in India. Mamata Banerjee has also been the Railway Minister of India. She has been in the Indian parliament for many years. Mamata Banerjee is popularly referred to as “Didi.”
Mamata Banerjee successfully toppled the incumbent Left Front government in the West Bengal Assembly Elections 2011 through her party All India Trinamool Congress. She managed to retain her position in the West Bengal Assembly Election 2016 and even won in the West Bengal Assembly Elections 2021, despite stiff competition from the Bharatiya Janata Party. The latter election was notable for her party winning more than 200 seats.
Mamata Banerjee has been highly successful in the Bhabanipur assembly constituency. She easily won the 2011 elections and even the 2016 elections. She convincingly won the Bhabanipur by-elections in 2021 by getting more than 58,000 votes ahead of her opponent.
Recently, the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, gained a lot of prominence in the media for saying, “even a snake can be trusted but not BJP” during her election campaign. This statement was one in many that she used to describe her intense criticism of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Suvendu Adhikari is a politician from India who is the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly. Formerly, he was part of the Trinamool Congress but later joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2021.
Suvendu Adhikari has a good political track record. He has won several assembly elections as the leader of Trinamool Congress from Nandigram. After becoming part of the BJP, he won the Nandigram constituency in 2021 by beating Mamata Banerjee.
Suvendu Adhikari recently stepped up his offensive against the Trinamool Congress (TMC), making several biting comments during the run-up to the 2026 elections. Before the counting process began, Adhikari said, “TMC Is Finished,” indicating a victory for the BJP. Commenting on Mamata Banerjee: On polling day (April 29, 2026), Adhikari made an acerbic comment, saying, “A cat does not jump onto a tree unless she really has no other choice,” in reference to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
The 2026 election saw people showing up in big numbers. And like clockwork, Bhabanipur is once again in the spotlight, showing off that classic Bengal showdown: TMC versus BJP.
Bhabanipur, right in South Kolkata, stands out as one of West Bengal’s political hotspots. It’s a mix of middle-class families, businessmen, and minority communities, all packed into one busy constituency. People see Bhabanipur as Mamata Banerjee’s stronghold, a place where the TMC racks up wins and loyalty runs deep.
There have been instances of reports and debates concerning the exclusion of around 51,000 votes from the electoral list. It is alleged that the exclusions had been disproportionately large among members of the Muslim community (said to constitute more than 40% in some studies), who represent between 20–25% of the total constituency population. As at 2026, there are 970 women for every 1,000 men. The constituency has a diverse populace consisting of a predominance of Hindus (about 76%).
The 2026 West Bengal Assembly election is shaping up into a close contest as indicated by the exit polls. Bharatiya Janata Party is leading in the majority of the surveys, with an estimate of 150-190 seats. Nevertheless, the All India Trinamool Congress is not that far behind them-they are projected to grab 120 or more seats and cling on to power.
It’s clear this election’s coming down to the wire. Some of the speculations even suggest hung assembly that would imply that no one gets a clear majority. But Mamata Banerjee isn’t trading the figures-, she has rejected the exit polls and is confident that her party will win.
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