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TMC releases list of 291 candidates, Mamta Banerjee will contest against Suvendu from Bhawanipur.

Samira Vishwas | March 18, 2026 2:24 AM CST

Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) has released its first list of 291 candidates for the West Bengal Assembly elections 2026. The party will field its candidates on 291 out of 294 seats in Bengal. The remaining 3 seats have been given to Anit Thapa’s BGPM party in the Darjeeling hill region.

Mamata Banerjee’s shift from Nandigram to Bhawanipur

This time Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will not contest elections from Nandigram. He has decided his nomination from Bhawanipur seat. Interestingly, BJP has also given ticket to Suvendu Adhikari on both Bhawanipur and Nandigram seats. In such a situation, Mamta and Suvendu will face each other in Bhawanipur.

Mamta showed confidence in her address

Addressing the press conference, Mamata Banerjee claimed that Trinamool Congress will form the government again by winning more than 226 seats in the 2026 assembly elections. He said that the people of Bengal are with TMC and the party will get an overwhelming majority on the issue of development.

Strong attack on Election Commission

Mamata Banerjee made a scathing attack on the Election Commission and said that the Commission is favoring the BJP. He alleged that the Commission is transferring officers at the behest of BJP.

The Chief Minister asked, “Why are senior officers being transferred just before Eid? Is there a conspiracy to incite riots before the elections?” He warned that if any untoward incident happens, the Election Commission and BJP will be responsible for it.

Voting will be held in two phases in West Bengal

The Election Commission had announced the dates of West Bengal Assembly elections on March 15. This time voting will be held in two phases in the state. The first phase of voting will be held on April 23 and the second phase of voting will be held on April 29. Counting of votes will be done on 4 May 2026.

It is clear from this list of TMC that Mamata Banerjee is focusing completely on Bhawanipur this time. His direct fight against Suvendu Adhikari remains the most discussed topic in Bengal politics.