In the second phase, all eyes would be on Bhabanipur, where Mamata Banerjee and Suvendu Adhikari are competing in a high-stakes prestige battle.
Polling officials check election materials for voting in the second phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections, at a distribution centre in Nadia. (IMAGE: PTI)
West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026: All 142 constituencies falling under South Bengal and Kolkata districts will go for polling in the second phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections, marking a crucial phase that will test Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s stronghold in the region.
The first phase, which saw a record turnout of 92 per cent, tested the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) influence in north Bengal and adjoining districts. The second phase brings the battle to the home turf of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), with Kolkata, Howrah, North and South 24 Parganas and Purba Bardhaman in the platter.
To say the stakes are high would be an understatement. The BJP has its task cut out to make a dent in TMC’s fortress, as the ruling party swept south Bengal five years ago. Bhabanipur stands at the pinnacle of this phase, where Banerjee would take on her former aide-turned-fierce rival Suvendu Adhikari in the “mother of all electoral contests.”
Bhabanipur is crucial for the TMC to protect Banerjee’s authority in her backyard, while the BJP would attempt to repeat 2021’s Nandigram result to puncture the aura of invincibility around Bengal’s most powerful leader.
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What Happened In 2021?
In 2021, the TMC maintained a dominant performance and won 123 of these 142 seats, while the BJP could only muster 18 seats. South Bengal includes around 70 assembly constituencies where the Muslim population is key, and it remains to be seen whether they will go with the TMC or vote for other parties.
North and South 24 Parganas remain the heart of that contest — what state politicians often call the “Uttar Pradesh of Bengal’s electoral map”, the twin districts whose electoral weight can make or unmake power in Kolkata. In 2021, the TMC won all 11 seats in Kolkata, all 16 in Howrah, 30 of 31 in South 24 Parganas, 28 of 33 in North 24 Parganas, 14 of 18 in Hooghly and eight of 17 in Nadia.
What Are The Stakes Now?
For the BJP, the second phase offers the real test of whether anti-incumbency, corruption allegations and law and order concerns will be able to breach the ruling party’s stronghold. For the TMC, this region is critically important for a fourth straight term.
“This has always been our strongest zone. In 2021 and even in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, people here stood with us. If we retain this belt, Bengal stays with Mamata Banerjee,” a senior TMC leader told news agency PTI.
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In the second phase, North 24 Parganas alone has 33 seats, South 24 Parganas 31, Howrah 16, Nadia 17, Hooghly 18, Purba Bardhaman 16, while Kolkata’s 11 seats remain symbolically the most prestigious.
The BJP went all-out in their campaigning, holding multiple rallies and roadshows, mixing sharp attacks on corruption, infiltration, post-poll violence and women’s safety with symbolic outreach in these constituencies.
Impact Of SIR
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has added a new layer to the political slugfest in the second phase, with 27 lakh voters being excluded from the electoral list. While the Election Commission has justified this exercise as carrying out a “purification” of electoral lists, several voters in the Matua strongholds have expressed resentment at being left out of the voter lists, which can impact the overall outcome.
North 24 Parganas lost over 12.6 lakh names, South 24 Parganas over 10.91 lakh, and Kolkata nearly 6.97 lakh voters. In at least 25 constituencies, deleted names exceed the previous victory margin. Political observers say the SIR can not only alter names, but also the post-election narrative.
(with inputs from agencies)
April 28, 2026, 23:55 IST
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