Former Member of Parliament Dilip Ghosh has announced his candidacy for the Kharagpur Sadar Assembly constituency in West Bengal, a seat he successfully secured during the 2016 Assembly elections. This announcement comes as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unveiled its first list of 144 candidates for the upcoming state elections. In comments to the media, Ghosh emphasized the party’s objective of obtaining a greater number of votes compared to the previous assembly elections.

“The party has expressed confidence in my candidacy, and as dedicated workers, we must ensure victory. Our aim is to garner more votes than what the BJP achieved in the last electoral cycle,” he stated. Ghosh has been a significant figure in BJP’s West Bengal operations, having served as the party’s state president from 2015 until 2021. He was also elected as a Member of Parliament from the Medinipur Lok Sabha constituency in the 2019 general elections.

Political Landscape and Key Contestants

Dilip Ghosh’s connection to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has also played a role in his political trajectory. He made his electoral debut in 2016 by winning the Kharagpur Sadar Assembly seat. The upcoming elections are expected to feature a notable face-off, particularly between Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP and West Bengal’s Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee. Adhikari is set to contest from Bhabanipur, a constituency currently held by Banerjee, who leads the Trinamool Congress (TMC).

In the last elections, Adhikari faced off against Banerjee in Nandigram, where he emerged victorious. The political atmosphere in West Bengal is poised for a high-stakes competition between the BJP and the ruling TMC as polling is scheduled to take place in two phases on April 23 and April 29. The counting of votes for both phases is set for May 4.

Additional Candidate Announcements

In addition to Ghosh, the BJP has announced other candidates for the elections. Agnimitra Paul, currently a member of the West Bengal Assembly, will stand for election from Asansol Dakshin. Actor-turned-politician Rudranil Ghosh is contesting from Shibpur, and MLA Bankim Chandra Ghosh will run from Chakdaha. With a total of 294 Assembly seats available in West Bengal, the BJP is expected to reveal additional candidates in the following days.

According to the Election Commission of India, the first phase of voting, covering 152 Assembly constituencies, will commence with the issuance of the gazette notification on March 30, 2026. The deadline for filing nominations for this phase is April 6, followed by scrutiny on April 7. Candidates will have until April 9 to withdraw their nominations, with polling scheduled for April 23.

For the second phase, which will cover 142 Assembly constituencies, the gazette notification is set to be issued on April 2, 2026. The last date for filing nominations for this phase is April 9, with scrutiny occurring on April 10. Candidates may withdraw their nominations until April 13, while voting is planned for April 29.

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