Bankura assembly polls 2026: BJP’s Niladri Sekhar Dana wins against CPI's Avoyananda Mukhopadhyay

BJP’s Niladri Sekhar Dana won the Bankura Assembly seat (Constituency No. 253) in the 2026 elections, defeating CPI (M)’s Avoyananda Mukhopadhyay.Bankura is a general constituency located in Bankura town, the district headquarters of Bankura district in South Bengal.The semi-urban to urban constituency includes Bankura municipality, parts of Bankura I and II blocks, with 257,000+ electors from a mixed background: government employees, teachers, traders, artisans (including the famous Panchmura terracotta craftsmen), and surrounding agrarian communities. Bankura has cultural significance as a historic centre of Bengali terracotta art.Key voter issues include urban civic services, employment for educated youth, local governance quality, healthcare at Bankura Medical College, road infrastructure, and small industry development. The district headquarters character introduces educated middle-class voter sensitivity to national and state political narratives.Historically a Left Front seat, Bankura district became fiercely contested between TMC and BJP since 2019. Turnout 82.9% under Bishnupur Lok Sabha. In 2021, BJP's Niladri Sekhar Dana won by just 1,468 votes (~0.7per cent of 213,479 total votes), one of the narrowest margins in West Bengal in 2021.An extremely marginal BJP seat; any marginal voter movement can flip this. As the district headquarters constituency, Bankura carries major symbolic weight; a TMC win here in 2026 would signal a decisive Bankura-wide reversal.