The West Bengal election was held in two phases on April 23 and April 29, 2026, for 294 assembly constituencies. 152 seats went to polling in the first phase on April 23. In the second phase, 142 seats were polled on April 29. According to the State’s Chief Electoral Officer, an overall 93% voting was recorded across the two phases of polling. In the first phase, 93.1% voting was recorded, while in the second phase, 91.6% turnout was recorded. The previous highest turnover in the state was 84.7%, which was recorded in 2011. It was also the first time that the state crossed 90% voting mark.
The polling in West Bengal took place in the backdrop of a special intensive revision of electoral rolls (SIR) carried out by the Election Commission of India. During the SIR, around 91 lakh voters were removed from the state’s voter lists. In terms of percentage points, 11.9% of the electorate was removed. Before the SIR that had an electorate of 7.6 crore. Among the high-profile seats is the Nandigram constituency. BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari is contesting against TMC’s Pabitra Kar from this assembly segment.
Who Is Suvendu Adhikari? BJP’s Top Gun Against Mamata Banerjee
Suvendu Adhikari is among the high-profile candidates contesting the West Bengal elections 2026. He is fighting from the Nandigram constituency on a BJP ticket against TMC’s Pabitra Kar. He was born on 15th December 1970 in the Purba Medinipur region of West Bengal. He is the son of former Congress minister Sisir Kumar Adhikari. Adhikari also began his career in the Congress. He then joined the TMC in 1998. In December 2020, he left TMC and joined the BJP.
According to the Association for Democratic Reforms and MyNeta data, Suvendu Adhikari’s net worth is Rs 85.9 lakhs. He has declared an annual income of Rs 17.4 lakhs with no liabilities. He has declared 29 pending criminal cases.
He has been positioned as the party’s principal face against West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee. Currently, he is among the top BJP leaders in the state and holds the responsibility of Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly.
Who Is Pabitra Kar? Suvendu Adhikari’s Former Aide Now Fighting Against BJP’s West Bengal Face From Nandigram
Pabitra Kar is the former aide of Adhikari, now fighting against the BJP heavyweight. He was formerly a pradhan of Boyal-1 gram panchayat in Nandigram-2 block. Kar left the BJP in December 2020 alongside Suvendu Adhikari. The duo worked hard to defeat their former boss, Mamata Banerjee, from Nandigram. However, he rejoined TMC this year in March on the day the party announced the list of candidates for the 2026 elections. His wife is still with the BJP, currently serving as head of Boyal-2 Gram Panchayat.
When Kar rejoined the TMC in the presence of Abhishek Banerjee, he said, “I have left the BJP and joined the TMC. I am confident of winning by around 30,000 votes because of the party’s strength and the trust people have in us. My candidacy was announced on the day I joined, and the results will be clear on May 4.”
All About Nandigram: Witnessing A High-Profile Contest Between Suvendu Adhikari And Pabitra Kar
Nandigram assembly is in the Purba Medinipur district of West Bengal. The general category constituency formed in 1967 has two development blocks – Nandigram I and Nandigram II. It is known for the 2007 agitation by Mamata Banerjee against the Left government’s land acquisition proposal for a chemical hub.
In 2021, Adhikari won the Nandigram constituency, defeating Mamata Banerjee by 1956 votes. Banerjee left her traditional Bhabanipur seat to challenge her former colleague. In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the BJP maintained the lead in the Nandigram segment by 8,200 votes against the TMC.
In 2016, Adhikari won the Nandigram assembly segment from a TMC ticket by defeating CPI’s Abdul Kabir Sekh. The margin of victory was 81,230. This year, TMC fielded Pabitra Kar against Adhikari. If Adhikari wins the Nandigram seat, it will be a hat-trick of wins.
In the past, Nandigram has been dominated by the Communist Party of India (CPI). It has won the seat nine times out of 15 elections. TMC and Congress have won twice. The BJP and the Janata Party have won this seat once.
In the 2021 Assembly elections, 257,992 voters were registered in the Nandigram constituency. Around 24% of the electorate is Muslim. Scheduled Caste voters account for 16.46%. It is a rural constituency with around 97% classified as rural.
Suvendu Adhikari Vs Pabitra Kar: Who Will Win Bengal’s Nandigram?
BJP is upbeat this time to defeat TMC. Given the results of the 2021 and 2024 elections, Suvendu Adhikari is likely to win the battle against a less popular leader than Mamata Banerjee. However, the narrow margins in the last two elections may worry the BJP.
Several exit polls released on April 29 predicted that the BJP would win the state for the first time in its electoral history. However, a few pollsters projected a TMC win.
Matrize, P-Marq, and JVC predicted a huge BJP win.
Matrize gave 146-161 seats to the BJP, while 125-140 seats to the TMC. Similarly, P-Marq predicted 150-175 for the BJP and 118-138 for the TMC.
People’s Pulse predicted TMC will win 177-187, while giving 95 and 110 seats.
Most of the exit polls have predicted BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari will win against TMC’s Pabitra Kar. However, exit polls should be taken with a grain of salt, as final results can be completely different. The results will be announced on May 4.
Also Read: BJP In, TMC Out? Great Demand For Saffron Gulaal As Bengal Gears Up For Result Day Holi
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
