Left Front Releases Second Candidate List for West Bengal Polls, Names 224 Candidates So Far

Kolkata, March 2026 : The CPI(M)-led Left Front on Thursday announced its second list of candidates for the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections, unveiling 32 more names and taking the total number of घोषित candidates to 224 out of 294 constituencies.

Earlier, on March 14, the Left Front had released its first list, naming candidates for 192 seats. With the latest announcement, the alliance has covered a significant portion of constituencies, indicating that its election preparations are gathering pace.

Among the 32 candidates घोषित in the second list, the majority—28 candidates—belong to the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M). The remaining candidates include three from the Communist Party of India (CPI) and one from the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), reflecting the coalition’s internal seat-sharing arrangement.

In a notable strategic move, the CPI-M has decided not to field its own candidate from the high-profile Nandigram constituency in East Midnapore district. Instead, the seat has been allotted to a CPI candidate. Nandigram is expected to witness a high-stakes contest, with Suvendu Adhikari, the Leader of Opposition and sitting MLA from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), contesting from there. Adhikari is also set to contest simultaneously from the Bhabanipur constituency in South Kolkata against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Interestingly, several prominent CPI-M leaders have once again been left out of the candidate list. These include the party’s state secretary and politburo member Md Salim and senior leader Sujan Chakraborty. Additionally, the well-known youth face of the party, Satarup Ghosh, has not been included in either of the two lists released so far.

Party sources indicated that these leaders will not contest the elections this time and will instead focus on campaigning across the state to strengthen the Left Front’s outreach and mobilization efforts.

The Left Front has also reserved 10 seats for the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (CPI-ML), a significant Left force based in neighbouring Bihar. The CPI-ML has already announced its candidates for the constituencies allotted to it.

Meanwhile, discussions over a potential seat-sharing arrangement between the Left Front and the All India Secular Front (AISF) are still ongoing. However, the proposal has faced resistance from one of the Left Front’s junior allies, the All India Forward Bloc, which has expressed opposition to the alliance with AISF.

As political alignments continue to evolve, the Left Front’s candidate announcements and alliance negotiations are expected to play a crucial role in shaping the electoral contest in West Bengal.