2026 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election

Legislative Assembly elections are scheduled to be held in West Bengal from 23 to 29 April 2026 to elect all 294 members of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly. The votes will be counted and the results will be declared on 4 May 2026.

The tenure of West Bengal Legislative Assembly is scheduled to end on 7 May 2026. The previous assembly elections were held in March–April 2021. After the election, the incumbent Trinamool Congress formed the state government again after winning 215 out of 294 seats in the assembly, with Mamata Banerjee sworn in as the Chief Minister.

The Election Commission of India announced the schedule for the West Bengal Legislative Assembly election on 15 March 2026.

Phases of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly election

According to the Election Commission of India, 70,459,284 voters were eligible to vote in the assembly elections in West Bengal. This includes 36,022,642 male, 34,435,260 female, and 1,382 third gender.

AITC+ released their first list of 3 candidates on 15 March 2026, including 3 candidates for BGP. AITC released their list of 291 candidates on 17 March 2026.

Left Front announced the first list of 192 candidates on 16 March 2026, including 142 seats for CPI(M), 21 seats for AIFB, 14 seats for CPI, 13 seats for RSP, and 1 seat each for RCPI and MFB, the second list of 32 candidates on 19 March 2026, including 28 seats for CPI(M), 3 seats for CPI and 1 seat for RSP the third list of 15 candidates including 13 seats for CPI(M) and 2 seats for AIFB and the fourth list containing 7 candidates for CPI(M). CPI(ML)L announced the names of their candidates on 10 seats on 17 March 2026.

BJP released the first list of 144 candidates on 16 March 2026; the second list of 111 candidates (also included replacement of a candidate and support to an independent candidate) on 19 March 2026. The third list of BJP candidates was released on 25 March 2026 wherein 19 candidates were named. BJP released the fourth list of candidates on 31 March 2026 announcing 13 candidates and another 1 previously announced candidate was replaced.

INC released first list of 284 candidates on 29 March 2026; INC released second list of 9 candidates on 1 April 2026.

AJUP-AIMIM released the first list on 18 March, including 15 candidates for AJUP , later 3 candidates on 23 March, AIMIM released first list of 12 candidates on 3 April.

Similar to the previous election, the polls in this time is set to be dominated by issues like:

1. Citizenship anxiety centering around the CAA and SIR.
2. Religious polarisation - fueled by the electoral decline of Left Front and ascendancy of Hindutva, allegations of demographic change caused by the illegal immigration of Bangladeshi Muslims, and ascendancy of Islamism in Bangladesh following the July Uprising, widespread anti-Hindu violence in Bangladesh, alleged appeasement of Muslims by TMC to be used as a vote bank.
3. Bengali identity, sub-nationalism.
4. Endemic corruption.
5. Women's safety.
6. Lack of economic opportunities in the state.
7. Anti-incumbency — 15 years against the ruling TMC.

• 2026 elections in India

• 2024 Indian general election in West Bengal

• 2026 Kolkata Municipal Corporation election

• 2026 Rajya Sabha elections

• State Election Commission of West Bengal