Kanthi Dakshin assembly election results 2026: BJP's Arup Das retains seat, defeats TMC's Tarun Jana by 31,742 votes

NEW DELHI: Sitting Kanthi Dakshin MLA Arup Kumar Das retained Kanthi Dakshin seat in Purba Medinipur district, defeating Trinamool Congress' Tarun Kumar Jana by 31,472 votes.According to the Election Commission, Das secured 118,219 votes and Jana 86,747 votes.Das won the 2021 election with 98,477 votes (51%), defeating AITC's Jyotirmoy Kar's 88,184 votes (45%), by a margin of 10,293 votes. Key issues in this constituency included urban infrastructure strain in Kanthi municipality and Kanthi-I CDB, road connectivity between GPs like Durmuth and Kusumpur, and drinking water supply amid rapid suburban growth. Flood control, health facilities, schools and local employment opportunities were also prominent concerns in this semi-urban constituency with 11.15% SC population and 87.66% literacy. Arup Das flipped the seat from AITC's Adhikari Dibyendu (2011, 2016 wins with margins of 28,637 and 33,890 votes), ending family dominance after Suvendu Adhikari's 2006 victory. Kanthi Dakshin falls under Kanthi Lok Sabha constituency, retained by BJP's Soumendu Adhikari in 2024 by 47,764 votes. This BJP sweep from Assembly to Parliament marks a decisive shift from TMC's earlier control in southern Medinipur's coastal hub.