NEW DELHI: Papia Adhikary of the Bharatiya Janata Party secured a decisive victory in the Tollyganj constituency, garnering 88,407 votes and defeating Trinamool Congress candidate Aroop Biswas by a margin of 6,013 votes. Biswas, a prominent TMC leader and minister, received 82,394 votes. The CPI(M)'s Partha Pratim Biswas finished a distant third with 30,335 votes, while Congress's Manas Sinha Roy managed only 1,066 votes. A total of eleven candidates contested from Tollyganj in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly Election, along with the None of the Above (NOTA) option.
Constituency Profile and Historical Context
Tollyganj is a fully urban assembly constituency located in the South 24 Parganas district, falling within the Jadavpur Lok Sabha constituency. The area is renowned for its strong ties to the film industry; the Bengali-language film industry, Tollywood, derives its name from this neighbourhood. It is a 100 per cent urban constituency characterized by a blend of residential, commercial, and cultural spaces.
In the 2021 assembly election, TMC's Aroop Biswas retained the seat with over 51 per cent of the vote, defeating the BJP candidate. The TMC had dominated Tollygunge across multiple election cycles, effectively consolidating the Bengali urban vote. In 2016, Biswas again held the constituency for the TMC, continuing as the MLA. As a senior figure in the TMC organization, Biswas had been closely associated with the party's presence in southern Kolkata.
Voter Turnout and Key Issues
The voter turnout in Tollygunge has been moderate for an urban seat, standing at around 73 per cent in the 2021 election. Key issues for voters in the constituency include civic amenities, solid waste management, and the upkeep of the area's residential localities. These concerns have remained significant in shaping electoral outcomes.
This victory marks a significant shift in a constituency that has traditionally been a TMC stronghold. The BJP's win reflects changing political dynamics in urban West Bengal, as the party continues to expand its footprint. For detailed coverage of the 2026 election results, including constituency-wise outcomes, party-wise trends, and live updates for Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala, Assam, and Puducherry, stay tuned to Times of India.
