Bengal election 2026: North 24 Parganas, Hooghly see maximum changes in TMC list

KOLKATA/CHINSURAH: North 24 Parganas and Hooghly have emerged as the districts with the most new faces on the Trinamool Congress candidate list.

In North 24 Parganas, the party denied tickets to MLAs in six of the seven assembly constituencies along the India-Bangladesh border — Sandeshkhali, Basirhat Uttar, Basirhat Dakshin, Haroa, Hingalganj, and Baduria — opting for fresh and prominent faces. In Sandeshkhali, three-time MLA Sukumar Mahato was replaced by Barasat Zilla Parishad member Jharna Sardar. Mahato refrained from expressing dissatisfaction, stating: "The party's decision is our mandate. I will do my best to ensure our candidate's victory."




Observers link this reshuffle to the 2024 Lok Sabha results, where Trinamool trailed the BJP by over 8,000 votes in Sandeshkhali following allegations of land grabbing and atrocities involving former strongman Sheikh Shahjahan. Sardar told TOI that despite the "provocative misinformation" causing unrest in the area, she was ready for her new role.

In Basirhat Uttar, party spokesperson Mohammad Tousifur Rehman replaced MLA Rafikul Islam. Though a Kolkata native living near Alimuddin Street, Rehman noted he had conducted extensive organisational work in Basirhat over the last seven years. "My priority will be building a 50-bed hospital in the constituency," Rehman said, having already started his campaign.

In Haroa, the party replaced long-time MLA Sheikh Rabiul Islam with ‘Matin Master' (Muhammad Abdul Matin), who joined Trinamool just hours before the announcement. Matin operates the Taqwa Hifzul Quran Madrasa and various educational institutions in the region.

In Hooghly, the party nominated 10 new faces across 18 seats, partly to quell internal factional feuds in Chinsurah, Saptagram, Balagarh, Pandua, and Uttarpara. The move sparked sharp reactions from those dropped. Tapan Dasgupta, a heavyweight leader and district president since 2011, declined to contest his Saptagram seat, fearing a ‘sure defeat'. Dasgupta told TOI: "Didi directed me to fight Saptagram, but I requested Pandua. She selected footballer Bidesh Bose instead. I won't leave politics; it's a marathon."

Meanwhile, former Chinsurah MLA and lawyer Asit Mazumdar announced he would withdraw from politics to practise law and read books. His replacement, new candidate Debangshu Bhattacharya, arrived at Ghori More in Chinsurah today, pledging to redevelop the town.

In Pandua, Ratna De Nag, daughter of former Congress minister Gopal Das Nag and a former minister herself, was replaced by veteran Kolkata leader Samir Chakraborty. Changes also reached the prestigious Serampore seat, long held by physician Sudipto Ray. The party instead fielded spokesperson and chemical engineer Tanmay Ghosh.