The 2021 Assembly elections in West Bengal delivered dramatic victories in several constituencies decided by razor-thin margins. While the ruling All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) retained power with a clear majority and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the principal Opposition, many seats went down to the wire. Detailed results show that ten seats, including Dinhata, Balarampur, Kurseong and Nandigram, were decided by margins of less than 2,000 votes, highlighting how evenly matched some local battles were in a fiercely contested election.
List of 10 seats with narrowest winning margins:
- Dinhata Assembly Seat: In Cooch Behar's Dinhata, BJP's Nisith Pramanik eked out a minuscule win over TMC's Udayan Guha by just 57 votes. Pramanik secured 1,16,035 votes to Guha's 1,15,978 as the electorate split its support almost evenly.
- Balarampur Assembly Seat: In Purulia district's Balarampur seat, BJP candidate Baneswar Mahato narrowly beat TMC rival Shantiram Mahato with a margin of 423 votes. Baneswar Mahato received 89,521 votes, while Shantiram Mahato got 89,098 votes.
- Dantan Assembly Seat: TMC's Bikram Chandra Pradhan in Dantan defeated BJP's Saktipada Nayak by 623 votes, highlighting the intense local tilt in this predominantly rural constituency. Pradhan received 95,209 votes, while Nayak got 94,586 votes.
- Kulti Assembly Seat: In the industrial seat of Kulti in Paschim Bardhaman, BJP's Ajay Kumar Poddar beat TMC's Ujjal Chatterjee by a margin of 679 votes. Poddar received 81,112 votes, while Chatterjee got 80,433 votes.
- Tamluk Assembly Seat: Tamluk saw a nail-biter as TMC's Saumen Kumar Mahapatra managed victory over BJP's Hare Krishna Bera by just 793 votes, demonstrating how rural coastal sentiment was split. Mahapatra received 1,08,243 votes, while Bera got 1,07,450 votes.
- Jalpaiguri Assembly Seat: In Jalpaiguri, the TMC's Dr Pradip Kumar Barma held off BJP's Soujit Singha by a slender 941 votes, making this north Bengal seat one of the narrowest wins in the region. Barma received 95,668 votes, while Singha got 94,727 votes.
- Ghatal Assembly Seat: At Ghatal in Paschim Medinipur, Sital Kapat of the BJP defeated TMC's Shankar Dolai by 966 votes, another example of a constituency where every ballot counted. Sital Kapat received 1,05,812 votes, while Dolai got 1,04,846 votes.
- Moyna Assembly Seat: Moyna in Purba Medinipur registered a 1,260-vote margin with BJP's candidate clinching the seat just over the TMC challenger, reflecting deep contestation in coastal rural centres. Ashoke Dinda received 1,08,109 votes, while Dolai got 1,06,849 votes.
- Bankura Assembly Seat: In Bankura's Bankura seat, the BJP candidate won by 1,468 votes, narrowly fending off a spirited TMC campaign in this strategically significant district. Dana received 95,466 votes, while Banerjee got 93,998 votes.
- Nandigram Assembly Seat: One of the most high-profile fights took place in Nandigram, where BJP's Suvendu Adhikari defeated TMC chief Mamata Banerjee by 1,956 votes in a contest watched across India. Suvendu received 1,10,764 votes, while Banerjee got 1,08,808 votes.
A close call in many corners
These ten constituencies, decided by often less than 2,000 votes, illustrate the intensely competitive nature of West Bengal's political terrain in 2021. Analysts note that such narrow margins, particularly in seats like Dinhata and Nandigram, reflect local issues and mobilised ground campaigns that shaped voter behaviour in tight contests.
West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026
This year, West Bengal will go for polls in two phases on April 23 and 29, the counting of votes will be held on May 4. In the first phase, the election will be held in Purulia, Bankura, Jhargram, Birbhum, East and West Midnapore, Jalpaiguri, Maldaha, Murshidabad, North and South Dinajpur, West Bardhaman, Darjeeling, Coochbehar, Alipurduar, Kalimpong. In the second phase, the election will be held in East Bardhaman, Nadia, North and South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, and Kolkata.
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