"Kushmandi is a rural assembly constituency in Dakshin Dinajpur district of north West Bengal. The seat lies in a primarily agricultural belt where paddy cultivation, horticulture and small informal trade sustain most households. Dakshin Dinajpur has historically been a politically mixed district, and Kushmandi has reflected the wider competitive dynamic between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the BJP in recent election cycles.
In the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections, the seat was won by Rekha Roy of the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC). She secured victory over the nearest rival from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by a margin of 12,584 votes. The result reflected the broader political alignment in the constituency and underlined the dominant party's organisational strength in the area.
The dominant concerns in Kushmandi revolve around agricultural distress and rural infrastructure. Farmers regularly raise issues around fair crop pricing, access to irrigation and protection from flooding during the monsoon season. Road connectivity, drinking water availability and expansion of healthcare facilities are consistently cited as unmet development needs. Youth unemployment is a significant concern, with limited opportunities outside agriculture pushing many residents to seek work elsewhere. Access to central and state welfare schemes is also a major electoral issue. The 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections are shaping up as a high-stakes contest between the ruling All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is seeking to make major inroads into the state. With anti-incumbency, law-and-order concerns and welfare delivery all playing a role, every constituency is expected to be closely watched. Trinamool Congress has fielded Rekha Roy while BJP has fielded Tapas Chandra Roy for the 2026 election."