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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has released its fifth list of candidates for the 2026 West Bengal Legislative Assembly elections.
As per the list approved by the Central Election Committee, Taraknath Chatterjee has been fielded from Krishnanagar Uttar, Anupam Biswas from Kalyani (SC), Saurav Sikdar from Dum Dum Uttar, Anindya Raju Banerjee from Madhyamgram, and Rudraprasad Banerjee from Uluberia Purba. The party also announced key changes in its earlier announced candidates. Kaushik Sidharth will now contest from Basirhat Uttar instead of Narayan Chandra Mondal, Abhijit Sardar has replaced Viswajit Khan in Bishnupur (SC), and Shankar Sikdar will contest from Behala Purba in place of Sunil Maharaj. The announcement comes amid intensified campaigning ahead of the two-phase elections scheduled for April 23 and April 29, with counting of votes on May 4. Earlier on April 2, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari filed his nomination from the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency, accompanied by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and state BJP president Samik Bhattacharya. Adhikari is contesting from both Bhabanipur and Nandigram, setting up a high-profile contest against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur. Addressing a rally during the nomination filing, Amit Shah criticised the ruling Trinamool Congress, alleging issues such as corruption, lawlessness, and unemployment in the state. "The entire population of Bengal is demanding a change in this great state... Under the leadership of PM Modi, a BJP government must be formed here," he said. Shah also reiterated the party's vision of building a "Sonar Bangla," invoking the ideals of figures like Swami Vivekananda and Rabindranath Tagore. In the 2021 Assembly elections, the Trinamool Congress secured a decisive victory with 213 seats, while the BJP emerged as the principal opposition with 77 seats. The upcoming polls are expected to witness a high-stakes contest between the two parties. (ANI)
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