New Delhi, April 8: The political landscape in West Bengal is heating up as the 2026 assembly elections approach. In a significant move, the Congress party has made changes to its candidate list for the second phase of the elections. On Wednesday, Congress released a new list, replacing candidates for seven seats that were previously announced.
The updated list was issued by Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal and includes a total of eight candidates. Notably, seven of these candidates will replace those previously declared, while Pranab Bhattacharya has been introduced as the new candidate for the Howrah seat.
The party shared this announcement on its official social media platform, X, stating, “The Congress Central Election Committee has selected these individuals as the party’s candidates for the second phase of the West Bengal assembly elections.”
Changes include Tahir SK replacing Golam Kibria Mandal from Nakashipara, Asif Khan taking over from Rahidul Mandal in Chapra, and Asif Khan also being nominated for Minakhan (SC) in place of Barnali Naskar. Other replacements include Chand Sardar for Kaushik Baidya from Mandir Bazar (SC), Pampa Malik for Anik Saha from Raina (SC), SK Abu Bakkar for Mofirul Kasim from Ketugram, and Tapas Baral for Nisha Baral from Ausgram (SC).
In parallel, the Bharatiya Janata Party has released its sixth list, featuring Rakesh Singh as a candidate from Kolkata Port.
Voting for the 294 assembly seats in West Bengal will occur in two phases. The first phase is scheduled for April 23, covering 152 seats, while the second phase will take place on April 29 for 142 seats. Election results are expected to be announced on May 4.
Security measures for the elections are unprecedented, with the largest deployment of paramilitary forces in the state’s history. Approximately 2,400 paramilitary companies, totaling around 240,000 personnel, have been stationed across West Bengal.
Additionally, a record number of female security personnel are being deployed, with around 20,000 women from paramilitary forces, equivalent to about 200 companies, assigned to election duty.
Arpit Soni has had a passion for journalism since the beginning. Now he has turned this hobby into his profession. Arpit, who is a resident of Udaipur, enjoys editing and writing news related to journalism. He has worked as a Senior Content Producer in several important roles at Bhaskar, Patrika, Pratahkal, Punjab Kesari, and Times. Arpit completed his schooling in Udaipur and Jaipur. He has been working in the media industry for more than 10 years, and his journey is still continuing. ✍️📚
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