Habibpur assembly results 2026: BJP's Joyel Murmu defeats TMC's Amal Kisku by 78,188 votes

In Habibpur, Bharatiya Janata Party's Joyel Murmu defeated Trinamool Congress' Amal Kisku. Murmu got 1,42,062 votes in total, with Kisku traling behind by 78,188 votes.The 2026 contest in Habibpur (ST) will pitch TMC's Amal Kisku against BJP's sitting MLA Joyel Murmu and Congress's Rajen Soren.Habibpur is a Scheduled Tribe-reserved constituency in Malda district, falling under the Maldaha Uttar Lok Sabha seat. It covers the Bamangola community development block and several gram panchayats of the Habibpur block. The constituency has a very high rural population and significant SC/ST demographics. For decades, the seat was a CPI(M) stronghold, with Khagen Murmu winning repeatedly until he transitioned to Parliament as an MP.In 2016, the CPI(M)'s Khagen Murmu defeated TMC's Amal Kisku by just 2,512 votes — a very tight margin. The 2021 election saw the BJP's Joyel Murmu win decisively, defeating the TMC candidate by nearly 19,500 votes, as tribal constituencies across north Bengal swung sharply towards the BJP. Notably, Amal Kisku, who lost in 2016 under TMC colours, is once again the party's candidate in 2026 — setting up a potential rematch with the incumbent. Congress's Rajen Soren will look to pick up some of the tribal vote to complicate the arithmetic