Mamata Banerjee Sets New Targets for 2026 Bengal Elections Amid Voter List Concerns

West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee addresses the party workers’ meeting at Netaji Indoor Stadium, in Kolkata, West Bengal, Thursday, February 27, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Swapan Mahapatra

West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo, Mamata Banerjee, is clearly leaving little to chance ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections. With more than a year until the Bengal polls, Mamata has already sounded the bugle call for the electoral battle and set a target of winning at least one seat more than the 215 secured in 2021. Alleging that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre is using underhanded tactics—tampering with electoral rolls—Mamata claimed that the upcoming political battle is about “protecting the identity of Bengal” and safeguarding the Trinamool Congress from the hands of “outsiders,” a term she uses to denote central BJP leaders and adherents of the saffron party’s politics.

On February 27, at a hastily convened “mega convention” of the Trinamool party in Kolkata, Mamata roared out the battle cry for 2026: “Khela abar hobe” (once more the game will be played)—echoing her 2021 rallying call, “Khela hobe” (the game will be played). “Once more the game will be played, and it will be played harder. We will have to hit the ball harder. The first task is to cleanse the voter list; otherwise, there is no point in going to polls,” she declared. 

The Chief Minister alleged an attempt to rig the elections using fake voters, claiming that the BJP, in collusion with the Election Commission, is linking the cards of legitimate voters in districts such as Murshidabad and Dakshin Dinajpur with names from States like Haryana and Gujarat. Waving documentary evidence, Mamata offered examples: “Md Shahidul Islam resides in Murshidabad, yet his card is linked with Haryana’s Sonia Devi. Md Ali Hussain lives in Raninagar, but his card is connected with a person named Manjit from Haryana… Bengal is for Bengal. Outsiders are welcome as guests, but we will not allow outsiders to seize Bengal.” 

Also Read | Trinamool: Trouble at the top?

She further asserted that this tactic was used by the saffron party to win in Delhi and Maharashtra—an operation they now intend to replicate here, which Bengal will not permit. She also announced the formation of committees at both the State and district levels to investigate irregularities in the voters’ list and related issues.

Mamata also questioned the neutrality of the Election Commission, insinuating that it is currently under the control of the central BJP. “I used to respect the EC; I still do. But do you know who the new Chief Election Commissioner is? He was formerly a departmental secretary to the Union Home Minister… They have filled the EC with BJP men,” she said. Not sparing the central investigating agencies, she claimed that as elections draw near, “they decide who to chargesheet, who to put behind bars.” This attack came on the heels of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) submitting its supplementary chargesheet on a primary teacher recruitment scam in West Bengal, which mentioned a certain Abhishek Banerjee—also Mamata’s nephew and heir apparent to the Trinamool leadership.

Abhishek’s presence at the mega convention also served to dispel rumours of a growing rift between him and Mamata. Dismissing these reports, Abhishek, who is also the all-India general secretary of the Trinamool Congress, declared, “There are rumours being spread by certain sections of the media that I am joining the BJP or forming a new party. Let me tell you, even if you cut my head off, my severed head will still say ‘Mamata Banerjee zindabad.’” He urged party workers to “forget their personal differences” and unite for the 2026 elections. “We must ensure that the people receive all the benefits we are providing… We will secure more than 215 seats this time,” he added. Regarding the CBI chargesheet, Abhishek noted that although his name appeared twice, it lacked further details such as his father’s name, address, or his status as an MP.

An early start

Given Trinamool’s overwhelming political dominance in the State, the disarray among opposition camps, and the erosion of the BJP’s base, many political observers have questioned the need for TMC to begin its preparations so early. With a firm hold over Muslim voters—who constitute more than 27 percent of the population (as per the 2011 census)—and welfare schemes that have yielded substantial electoral dividends, particularly among poorer women voters, Mamata appears well ahead in the race. 

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee participate in an all-faith rally (Sanhati rally), in Kolkata in January, 2024.
| Photo Credit:
ANI

However, recent developments have put the ruling party on the back foot. The rape and murder of an on-duty doctor at the government-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, coupled with allegations of a State cover-up, has hit the government hard. Moreover, the party’s credibility has suffered further as central investigating agencies probe various scams and corruption cases involving high-profile party leaders and ministers.

According to Trinamool sources, attacks on Hindu residents in neighbouring Bangladesh are also causing concern within the party leadership, as such incidents could lead to communal polarisation in Bengal—potentially benefiting the BJP. Veteran political analyst Biswajit Bhattacharya told Frontline, “The R.G. Kar case and the various scams have not adversely affected Trinamool in elections so far, as evidenced by the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and recent by-elections in which the party won all six seats.” However, Bhattacharya added that “we are witnessing marked polarisation among Hindus in urban and semi-urban areas—particularly among the middle and lower-middle classes—in the wake of communal violence in Bangladesh. The BJP has clearly sensed this shift and has raised its pitch on this issue. BJP Leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, has even alleged that the Chief Minister is in league with radical Islamist forces, prompting Mamata Banerjee to strengthen her soft Hindutva policy and assert on the Assembly floor that she is a ‘Hindu.’” 

Also Read | Mamata Banerjee’s corruption crackdown: Calculated move or genuine reform?

On February 18, Mamata stated, “I am a Brahmin and a proud Hindu,” in response to criticisms levelled against her by the BJP.

“Mamata has also understood that apart from the States in south India, the BJP’s only opposition is in West Bengal—the birthplace of Shyama Prasad Mukhopadhyay, founder of the Jana Sangh. Moreover, this is the RSS’s centenary year, making it once again a prestige battle for the BJP. Mamata realises this, and for her, now is the right time to start preparing—not too early, as some might think,” said Bhattacharya.