In West Bengal's Malda constituency, the Bharatiya Janata Party's Gopal Chandra Saha emerged victorious over Trinamool Congress candidate Lipika Barman Ghosh by a margin of 50,128 votes. Saha secured a total of 123,656 votes, while Ghosh trailed with only 73,528 votes.
Malda (SC) Constituency Profile
The Malda (SC) constituency is a Scheduled Caste-reserved seat that includes the Old Malda Municipality and several gram panchayats within the English Bazar and Habibpur community development blocks. It falls under the Maldaha Uttar Lok Sabha constituency. Historically, this seat has been a stronghold of the Congress party, with Bhupendra Nath Halder winning it consecutively in 2011 and 2016.
Historical Voting Patterns
In the 2016 assembly elections, Halder defeated TMC's Dulal Sarkar by a comfortable margin, underscoring Congress's strong support among the SC electorate in the Old Malda area. However, the 2021 elections witnessed a significant shift as BJP's Gopal Chandra Saha defeated the TMC candidate, while Halder's vote share collapsed dramatically. The seat experienced a three-way split, allowing the BJP to capture what was previously considered a safe Congress seat.
2026 Contestants and Strategies
For the 2026 elections, Congress once again fielded Bhupendra Nath Halder in an attempt to reclaim the seat. The TMC nominated Lipika Barman Ghosh to consolidate the anti-BJP vote. The outcome of the election hinged on whether the opposition vote would remain divided between Congress and TMC, a factor that ultimately worked in favor of the BJP.
Broader Election Context
The Malda result is part of the larger 2026 assembly elections in West Bengal, where the BJP is seeking to unseat the TMC government. Other key contests include the Bhabanipur seat, where Mamata Banerjee is trailing behind Suvendu Adhikari after the second round of counting. Meanwhile, in Tamil Nadu, Vijay's TVK party has emerged as a formidable force, pushing DMK and AIADMK to the margins. In Assam, the BJP is expected to retain power.
This article covers the latest election results, live updates, winner lists, constituency-wise results, and party-wise trends for Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala, Assam, and Puducherry.
