Memari assembly polls 2026: Manab Guha of BJP wins against Rash Bihari Halder of AITC

Manab Guha of the Bharatiya Janata Party won the Memari Assembly Constituency No. 265, defeating Rash Bihari Halder of the All India Trinamool Congress.Memari (GEN), Assembly Constituency No. 265, is located in Purba Bardhaman district in South Bengal, covering Memari I and II community development blocks and Memari town along the Bardhaman-Howrah rail corridor.This year, the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) has introduced a new face, Rash Bihari Halder, to defend the seat. He is up against Manab Guha of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who is looking to capitalize on the party's growing footprint in the district. The Left Front, represented by Krishanu Bhadra (CPI-M), is attempting to regain its historic dominance, while Prabir Ganguli of the Indian National Congress (INC) and several independent candidates, including Bikash Chandra Das, further diversify the ballot.The constituency lies in the fertile alluvial Bardhaman plains, a celebrated rice and vegetable farming zone. With 245,000+ electors from a mix of Hindu OBC and SC farming communities, urban trader and service-class populations in Memari town, and a notable Muslim minority, the seat has a dual rural-urban character.Voter priorities include agricultural support prices, cold-storage infrastructure (potato is a major cash crop), connectivity along the rail corridor, small industry development, healthcare, and communal harmony. The Muslim minority contributes an important vote bloc to TMC's coalition. Formerly a strong CPI(M) constituency, Memari has been TMC-held since 2011 facing a growing BJP challenge. High turnout (88.4per cent) under Bardhaman-Purba Lok Sabha.In 2021, TMC's Madhusudan Bhattacharya won by 23,078 votes (~10.6per cent of 217,129 total votes), a comfortable margin. A moderately safe TMC seat reflecting strong rural and minority voter consolidation. Memari is a significant contributor to TMC's lead margin in Bardhaman-Purba Lok Sabha; its rail-corridor connectivity makes it economically and politically central to mid-Bardhaman.