'Let it be a democratic fight': Mamata targets BJP, ECI after releasing TMC list

Trinamul Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday called on the BJP to contest the upcoming Assembly elections democratically, cautioning against the misuse of central agencies and the Election Commission of India to undermine the country’s long-cherished democratic spirit.

- STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE

In the same breath, she asserted that despite the BJP’s efforts to capture Bengal, the Trinamul Congress would secure more than 226 seats. “Whatever you do, Trinamul Congress will win over 226 seats in the 2026 Assembly election,” she declared while announcing her party's candidate list at her Kalighat residence this afternoon.

Miss Banerjee announced candidates for 291 seats, while three constituencies ~Kalimpong, Kurseong and Darjeeling ~ have been reserved for BGPM. Seventy-five sitting MLAs have been dropped. The list includes 52 women candidates and 47 from minority communities. Ninety-five candidates belong to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, of whom 78 are SC and 17 ST.