TMC heavyweights routed across 3 south Bengal districts
The Statesman | 5 May 2026
Senior Trinamul Congress (TMC) leaders and former ministers suffered decisive defeats across East Burdwan, West Burdwan and Bankura, with the party losing ground sharply in what were once considered strongholds.
In East Burdwan, ministers Swapan Debnath and Siddiqullah Chowdhury were defeated in Purbasthali (Dakshin) and Monteswar by margins of 13,898 and 14,798 votes respectively. In Durgapur (Purba), minister Pradip Majumdar lost by 30,233 votes.
The outcome marks a dramatic shift from the 2021 Assembly elections, when the TMC had won all 16 seats in East Burdwan and five of nine in West Burdwan.
TMC district presidents Rabindranath Chatterjee (East Burdwan) and Narendranath Chakraborty (West Burdwan) were also defeated.
A six-time MLA, Chatterjee left the counting centre before the final rounds. “We must pay serious heed to the people’s mandate and undertake extensive introspection,” he said. Chakraborty remained unavailable for comment after the midway stage of counting. Tiwari said his priority would be to work responsibly and deliver tangible relief to residents. Siddiqullah Chowdhury alleged “sabotage” by sections within his own party.
Amid the broader setback, TMC candidate Nabinchandra Bag retained the Khandaghosh seat despite internal party divisions and a strong BJP challenge. Bag, who first won the constituency on a CPI-M ticket in 2011 before joining the TMC, said: “I am grateful to the people of my constituency for standing by me despite multiple provocations and threats.”
In Bankura, the BJP swept all 12 Assembly seats, improving on its 2021 performance when it had won eight. Most TMC candidates trailed from the early rounds of counting. In the Junglemahal belt, where the TMC had performed relatively well in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the party lost seats such as Ranibandh, Raipur, Sarenga and Taldangra.