New contenders from United Democratic Alliance for North Bengal State to contest 54 seats ahead of polls
Telegraph | 31 March 2026
The political landscape of north Bengal is witnessing a churn ahead of the Assembly elections, with a new regional alliance of regional outfits and another outfit separately entering the fray.
A newly formed platform, the United Democratic Alliance for North Bengal State (UDANBS), comprising nine political and apolitical groups, announced on Monday that it would contest all 54 Assembly seats in north Bengal.
The alliance aims to push for the creation of a separate north Bengal state, which it says is vital for the region’s comprehensive development.
Animesh Chakraborty, the spokesperson of the alliance and president of the North Bengal Peoples Party, alleged that successive governments at both the Centre and the state neglected the region.
“We are contesting against the deprivation of north Bengal. The governments in Delhi and Calcutta have failed to address the needs of the region. People are only offered hollow promises before elections. We refuse to succumb to dole politics,” Chakraborty said at a news meet on Monday.
He claimed that despite north Bengal being home to people from 62 communities, development is inadequate.
Highlighting a skewed budget allocation, he alleged that out of Bengal’s ₹4 lakh crore budget, only around ₹820 crore was allocated for the eight districts of north Bengal.
According to representatives of the alliance, apart from registered political outfits like the Kamtapur People’s Party (United), Kamtapur Progressive Party, and Indian Gorkha Janshakti Front, some apolitical organisations have also joined the platform.
Parallel political developments involving the Kamatapur State Demand Council (KSDC) have added another layer of complexity to the electoral scenario.
The outfit, instrumental in holding peace talks between the Centre and the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO), a proscribed terror outfit, on the issue of a separate state, has announced candidates in 32 Assembly seats of the region.
“We have fielded candidates and will wait till the last day for the withdrawal of nominations. If the Centre comes up with some significant announcement related to our primary demands of a separate state and constitutional recognition of the Rajbanshi language, we will reconsider changing our political stand,” said Tapati Roy Mallick, the president of KSDC. “Or else, our candidates will contest the polls,”she added.
The decision of these regional parties and outfits to participate in the polls — especially because most of them have backed the Trinamool Congress and the BJP earlier — can change the election dynamics of north Bengal, said political observers.
In north Bengal, around half of the 54 Assembly seats have the presence of the Rajbanshi community. “In such a situation, the votes of the Rajbanshi community will be split, which means the contest between Trinamool and the BJP will be closer,” said an observer.