The fascinating journey of Agnimitra Paul- From aspiring doctor to fashion designer to CM probable

BJP is all set to form a government in West Bengal for the first time in history. The party won the State Assembly election, defeating the incumbent TMC-led state government. Amid Mamata Banerjee’s claim of the polls being rigged and the BJP announcing May 9 as the day of oath-taking for the new government, there is a lot of speculation on who will become the next Chief Minister of West Bengal. Among the list of probable names, fashion designer Agnimitra Paul’s name stands out the most. Paul won from Asansol Dakshin, defeating TMC's Tapas Banerjee, with a margin of over 40,000 votes, according to the Election Commission of India.

Paul serves as the Vice-President of BJP’s Bengal wing and has been instrumental in mobilising women voters for the party this election season. Agnimitra Paul, many feel, is the ideal candidate if the BJP is looking at replacing Mamata Banerjee with a woman leader at the CM’s office.

Paul's journey and rise to prominence in the Bengal BJP have been quick since her joining in 2019. She may have lost two elections in the past, but played a key role in securing votes from women for the BJP this election season. But before she joined politics, Paul was already a well-known figure in the Kolkata fashion circuit as a fashion designer who had access to the likes of Sridevi and Hema Malini in Bollywood. In her TED Talk, a few years before she made her foray in politics, Paul said she grew up in a middle-class family in Asansol, where her father ( a well-known paediatrician in Asansol) and her homemaker mother insisted her and her sister study hard.

Early beginnings

Paul’s conservative middle-class family wanted her to become a doctor or an engineer. She had even appeared for the JEE entrance exam twice and got a chance to study dentistry. However, keen to become a gynaecologist, Agnimitra Paul decided to study Botany Hons from Asansol instead. It was while pursuing a management degree in the evening classes at Jadavpur University that she decided to apply to Birla Institute of Liberal Arts and Management Sciences, just to keep herself occupied in the mornings. A diploma in fashion design followed, and she made her way to becoming one of the most promising designers of Bengal in the late 1990s-early 2000s.

Taking Bengal art to the ramp

When she showcased her work at Lakme Fashion Week in 2007, she walked the ramp for the final bow with two artisan women, who had worked on her collection that showcased Bengal’s traditional handwork of Kantha.

Her designs on the ramp in the subsequent years were always rooted in Bengal craftsmanship.

Paul’s work and popularity took her to Bollywood as well, and she designed for stars like Sridevi and Mithun Chakraborty. She even designed costumes for films like Koi Mere Dil Se Poochhe and Via Darjeeling. Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been gifted shawls and blankets designed by Paul.

She had been running her own fashion label, "Inga", since 1997, which started small and later became a brand to reckon with in Kolkata, before making her foray into politics.

Married to Partho Paul, an entrepreneur whose family owns Palson Drugs & Chemical Industries, Agnimitra Paul is the mother of two boys.

Rise in the BJP

Agnimitra Paul’s rise, particularly in the 2026 state election, is being seen as the BJP’s big wild card. No one would have seen her gaining such importance in such a short span of time. She is one of the most recognisable faces of the party in Bengal. In seven years of being part of the party, Paul’s rise in the party is perhaps the fastest in BJP history. From being part of the Mahila Morcha, Paul is now part of the BJP’s inner circle. In her TED Talk, she had mentioned that having achieved success in fashion, she wanted to give back to society and make women in Bengal villages more self-reliant. And that's exactly what she did. Branding herself as ‘Daughter of the soil’, she built an emotional bond with the masses that turned Asansol into a fortress for the BJP.

23 criminal cases against Paul

According to her election affidavit, the 51-year-old Paul is currently facing 23 criminal cases related to various charges, including unlawful assembly, violent protests, rioting, disobedience of lawful orders, and actions allegedly intended to disturb public order, the report noted.

The cases also reportedly include accusations of promoting enmity and hostility between different groups. However, she has not been convicted in any of these cases.

Next CM of Bengal?

Agnimitra Paul is not the only candidate for the CM’s post this election season. Suvendu Adhikari and Swapan Dasgupta are also in the running for the post along with Paul, but if she is chosen for Bengal’s highest office, she will be the first from the fashion fraternity to reach such a height in Indian politics and thus create history.