Dhanekhali election results 2026: TMC's Asima Patra wins against BJP's Barnali Das

NEW DELHI: Asima Patra of the All India Trinamool Congress won the Dhanekhali constituency with 1,23,462 votes, defeating BJP candidate Barnali Das by a margin of 13,057 votes. Das secured 1,10,405 votes. CPI(ML) Liberation's Ruma Ahiri finished third with 4,907 votes, followed by Congress's Jyoti Kumari Das with 3,358 votes.Seven candidates contested from Dhanekhali in West Bengal's 2026 Assembly Election, along with NOTA.Dhanekhali (constituency no. 197), also spelt Dhaniakhali, is a Scheduled Caste-reserved seat in Hooghly district, forming part of the Hooghly Lok Sabha constituency. The constituency is situated within the Hooghly-Damodar Plain. The area is particularly noted for the Dhanekhali tant (handloom) sari, a distinctive local textile tradition that has lent the region its cultural identity. The constituency is predominantly rural, with agriculture and handloom weaving as primary livelihoods.In 2021, TMC's Asima Patra won the seat. In 2016, the TMC also held Dhanekhali. The constituency, reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates, has remained within the TMC's orbit since 2011.The handloom sector, which supports a large number of weavers, has been a recurring policy issue, with candidates contesting the claim of which party has done more to sustain the tant weaving industry.