BJP finalizes West Bengal candidates and strategy ahead of 2026 assembly polls.

The BJP held a nearly seven-hour core committee meeting in New Delhi to finalize candidate selections for over 100 seats in West Bengal ahead of the state assembly elections expected in April or May 2026. Key leaders, including Amit Shah, Nitin Nabin, and Samik Bhattacharya, discussed strategy, campaign plans, and slogans. A subsequent Central Election Committee meeting chaired by Prime Minister Modi was set to further review plans for West Bengal and Kerala, both scheduled to hold elections this year. The BJP is intensifying efforts to challenge the ruling Trinamool Congress. Meanwhile, the Congress announced it will contest all 294 West Bengal seats independently, ending its alliance with the Left Front, and releasing candidates in three phases.