West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026: List of all constituencies going to polls in Phase 1 on April 23

Kolkata:

The first phase of the West Bengal Assembly Election 2026 is scheduled to take place on April 23 (Thursday), covering 152 constituencies across north Bengal and parts of south Bengal, including the politically significant Nandigram seat. According to data from the Election Commission of India, nearly 3.60 crore voters are eligible to cast their ballots in this phase. This includes around 1.84 crore male voters, 1.75 crore female voters, and 465 third-gender electors.

To ensure smooth and secure polling, approximately 2,450 companies of central paramilitary forces, amounting to nearly 2.5 lakh personnel, have been deployed. The poll body has also heightened security measures, identifying over 8,000 polling stations as highly sensitive.

The TMC is seeking to come to power for the fourth straight term, while the BJP wants to unseat the Mamata Banerjee-led party in the state where the number of voters has reduced by around 91 lakh after the Special Intensive Review (SIR).

Key candidates

The first phase features several high-profile contests. In Nandigram, Suvendu Adhikari is up against his former aide Prabitra Kar, who recently joined the TMC. Adhikari, who had defeated Mamata Banerjee from this seat in the 2021 elections, is also contesting from Bhawanipur against the TMC chief.

Suspended TMC MLA Humayun Kabir is also in the fray and has drawn attention for his controversial remarks. The BJP-held Baharampur seat is another key battleground, with Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury returning to Assembly politics after more than two decades.

Among other notable candidates is former BJP state president Dilip Ghosh, who is contesting from Kharagpur Sadar against TMC’s Pradeep Sarkar in Paschim Medinipur district. Other important constituencies in this phase include Mekhliganj, Sitalkuchi, Darjeeling, Raiganj, Islampur, Balurghat, English Bazar, and Jangipur.

West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026: List of all constituencies going to polls on in Phase 1