Ranaghat Dakshin 2026 Assembly Elections: A battle between TMC's Sougata Kumar Burman & BJP's Ashim Kumar Biswas

Ranaghat located in Naida district of West Bengal is an important administrative and urban centre situated about 70 kms from Kolkata. The key commercial hub and railway junction has grown into the headquarters of Ranaghat subdivision. Ranaghat is famous for its handloom industry, flower markets and traditional Bengali sweets.

Demographic Mosaic

Historically the demography of Ranaghat has been shaped by the influx of immigrants during the 1971 Bangladesh war. As per the latest census data, Ranaghat municipality houses over 75 thousand with a sex ratio of 986 females per 1000 males. The area boasts of a high 93.2% literacy rate. The dominating religion is hindu, as the social composition includes about 13% scheduled castes and very low scheduled tribes.


Also Read: West Bengal Election Results 2026 Live

Overall Exit Poll Trends

Exit polls for the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections indicate a highly competitive contest with a slight edge to the BJP, with several agencies projecting the party to potentially secure a majority and end the long-standing rule of the Trinamool Congress. Most agency estimates place the BJP in the range of around 142–175 seats, while the TMC is projected between roughly 99–140 seats, though the race remains close and uncertain. The report also highlights that these projections suggest a possible historic political shift in the state, but also cautions that exit polls in Bengal have often been inaccurate in the past due to complex voting patterns and regional variations.

Voting Phases and Overall Turnout

The voting for Ranaghat Dakshin constituency was scheduled for the Phase 2 of the polling which was held on 29 Apr 26. The overall voter turnout in this phase was 91.03%.

Ranaghat Dakshin Electoral Fortunes

In the 2021 Assembly elections, the constituency had 285,180 electors and recorded 241,687 valid votes. Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Mukut Mani Adhikari won the seat with 119,260 votes, defeating the All India Trinamool Congress’s Barnali Dey Roy, who secured 102,745 votes. The margin of victory was 16,515 votes.

Ranaghat Dakshin Key Candidates

For the 2026 elections, Ashim Kumar Biswas is representing the Bhartiya Janta Party. The candidates from Trinamool Congress and CPI M are Sougata Kumar Burman and Arindam Biswas respectively.

Overall Election Dynamics

The 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections were conducted in a multi-phase format across the state, reflecting the high political stakes and the need for extensive security deployment. The contest primarily revolved around the ruling Mamata Banerjee-led All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with the Left-Congress alliance attempting to regain lost ground.

Exit polls suggested a tight contest, with some agencies predicting a BJP edge, indicating a possible shift in Bengal’s political landscape. However, echoing past trends, Mamata Banerjee dismissed these projections, stating that such exit polls were “aired at the instructions of BJP” and did not reflect the ground reality.

Bengal also clocked in its highest ever voter turnout, since Independence, of 92.47% across both phases of elections.The recent Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll by the election commission added drama to the already fierce competition.

Overall, the election dynamics were shaped by factors such as welfare politics versus anti-incumbency, defections between major parties, and regional variations in voter behaviour, making the 2026 contest one of the most closely watched state elections with significant national implications.