Katulpur assembly polls 2026: Lakshmi Kanta Majumdar of BJP wins against Harakali Protiher of AITC

Lakshmi Kanta Majumdar of the Bharatiya Janata Party won the Katulpur Assembly Constituency No. 256, defeating Harakali Protiher of the All India Trinamool CongressKatulpur (SC), Assembly Constituency No. 257, is located in the southern part of Bankura district in South Bengal, situated between Bankura town and Bishnupur in the laterite plateau region. In the 2026 Assembly elections, Harakali Protiher is contesting from AITC, Lakshmi Kanta Majumdar from the BJP, and Sumitra Mallik Santra from the INC.Covering Kotulpur (Katulpur) community development block, the constituency has over 237,000 electors predominantly from Scheduled Caste communities (Bagdi, Bauri, Dom) engaged in rainfed paddy cultivation, vegetable farming, and daily wage labour.Voter concerns focus on agricultural irrigation (the region is drought-prone), MGNREGA employment, housing under PMAY, food security, access to healthcare and secondary education, and welfare delivery quality under successive governments. SC welfare scheme awareness is high and drives voter mobilization. Once a steady Left Front-CPI(M) seat, Katulpur moved toward BJP in 2019–21.Very high turnout (93.8per cent)—the highest in the Bankura cluster. In 2021, BJP's Harakali Protiher won by 11,785 votes (~5.3per cent of 222,267 total votes), defeating TMC in a high-enthusiasm SC-community contest.A moderate BJP hold, the exceptional turnout reflects strong voter mobilization in this SC-dominated constituency. Katulpur is significant for BJP's SC-community outreach narrative in Bankura under Bishnupur Lok Sabha, its high-turnout reserved status makes it a key seat for both parties' SC strategies.