In the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election for the Panchla constituency (seat number 175), Gulsan Mullick of the All India Trinamool Congress secured a decisive victory with 1,23,967 votes, defeating Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Ranjan Paul, who polled 85,647 votes. The margin of victory for the TMC stood at 38,320 votes.
Detailed Results
All India Forward Bloc's Farid Mollah finished third with 20,644 votes, while Congress and other candidates remained far behind. NOTA recorded 1,739 votes. The victory underscores Mullick's continued dominance in the constituency, which he has represented for decades.
Constituency Profile
Panchla is located in the Howrah district under the Howrah Lok Sabha constituency. It is a mix of rural and urban areas on the outskirts of Howrah city, with approximately two-thirds of its population living in urban settings. The constituency also has a notable Scheduled Caste demographic.
Historical Context
Gulsan Mullick is a veteran of Panchla politics. He first won the seat in 1996 on a Congress ticket and later aligned with the TMC. Since 2011, he has held the seat continuously for the TMC. In the 2021 election, Mullick retained the seat by defeating BJP's Mohit Lal Ghanti with a margin of approximately 32,751 votes, polling just under 49 per cent of valid votes while the BJP secured around 33 per cent. In 2016, Mullick won with over 53 per cent of the vote, defeating the All India Forward Bloc's Doli Roy, who had historically been a strong competitor.
2026 Challenges
In 2026, Mullick faced a fresher BJP candidate in Ranjan Kumar Paul. The electorate has shown a growing willingness to consider alternatives, but Mullick's experience and strong grassroots connect helped him retain the seat. The constituency falls under the Howrah Lok Sabha segment represented by actor-politician Prasun Banerjee.
