BJP Releases Fourth Candidate List For West Bengal Polls; Announces 13 Names

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday released its fourth list of candidates for the upcoming two-phase Assembly elections in West Bengal, announcing 13 new names and making a key change in the Maynaguri Assembly constituency in Jalpaiguri district.

The updated list also includes a replacement candidate for Maynaguri, reflecting ongoing adjustments in the party’s electoral strategy.

With this announcement, the BJP has now declared candidates for most seats, while names for six constituencies are still under discussion.

The latest list indicates that veteran legislator Mihir Goswami has been dropped from the Natabari constituency in Cooch Behar district.

In his place, the BJP has fielded Girija Shankar Roy, who recently joined the party.

In Kolkata, former Congress councillor Santosh Pathak, who switched to the BJP, has been nominated from the Chowringhee constituency.

The party has also fielded former Indian Police Service officer Debashis Dhar from Sonarpur (Uttar) in South 24 Parganas district.

Dhar becomes the second former IPS officer nominated by the BJP. Dr Rajesh Kumar was the first. He was earlier fielded from Jagatdal in North 24 Parganas.

The list reflects the BJP’s continued strategy of inducting candidates from varied professional backgrounds. Journalist and YouTuber Manav Guha has been fielded from Memari in East Burdwan district.

Guha is the third journalist-turned-politician to be nominated by the party, alongside Jagannath Chattopadhyay from Suri in Birbhum and Santu Pan from Tarakeswar in Hooghly. Chattopadhyay also serves as the BJP’s state vice-president in West Bengal.

Additionally, Soma Thakur, wife of Union Minister of State Santanu Thakur, has been fielded from Bagda in the North 24 Parganas district.

Also Read: Assam Polls: BJP Promises Development Push In 31-Point Manifesto