West Bengal Elections 2026: Ashok Dinda, Sayantika Banerjee, Raj Chakraborty; the star-studded candidate list you need to see

It’s a model that South India has used for decades. Making film artists contest for the assembly elections. In 2011, when Trinamool Congress ended Left supremacy and formed a government in West Bengal, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee fielded several prominent names from the world of showbiz. The star candidates obviously brought in votes, and since then, in each election, TMC has had prominent celebrities of Bengal contesting from key constituencies. BJP too seemed to have taken the same step, with prominent actors and even a cricketer contesting this year in West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026. Take a look.

TV actress Arundhati Maitra, best known as Lovely Maitra, is contesting from the Sonarpur constituency in South 24 Parganas on a TMC ticket. Lovely Maitra has been a popular face on TV and has been part of shows like Jol Nupur and Mohor.

Actress Sayantika Banerjee is contesting from the Baranagar constituency in North 24 Parganas. Banerjee joined All India Trinamool Congress, ahead of Assembly elections 2021 in West Bengal. She contested the 2021 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election from Bankura constituency, which she lost. She later contested the 2024 by-elections and was elected as the MLA of the Baranagar Constituency.

Television actress Shreya Pandey is the candidate from the Maniktala constituency in Kolkata. Pandey is contesting on a TMC ticket. Shreya's parents, Supti Pandey and the late Sadhan Pande were also prominent TMC leaders. Sadhan Pande also served as a state minister for the West Bengal Government in 2011.

Popular Bengali film actor Soham Chakraborty is contesting for Trinamool from the Karimpur constituency in Nadia, West Bengal. Soham started his career in films as a child actor in the 1980s and later featured in numerous Bengali hit films as a leading man. Soham joined TMC in 2016. He won the General election 2021 from Chandipur constituency.

One of the most popular filmmakers of Bengali cinema, Raj Chakraborty, has filed a nomination for the Barrackpore constituency in North 24 Parganas. Chakraborty has been part of TMC for years now.

TMC has also tapped popular musicians. Renowned kirtan artist Aditi Munshi has filed for a Trinamool ticket from the Gopalpur constituency in Rajarhat, adjacent to Salt Lake. Singer Indranil Sen is contesting on a TMC ticket from Chandannagar.

Not just actors, even sports stars are part of the assembly elections this year. Former cricketer Shiv Shankar Pal is contesting on a TMC ticket from Tufanganj in West Bengal, while ex-footballer Bidesh Basu is the TMC candidate from Saptagram. BJP has also given a ticket to former cricketer Ashok Dinda, who will be contesting for the party from the Moyna constituency of Purba Medinipur.

Rudranil Ghosh is a popular face in Bengali cinema. The actor is making his foray into politics as a BJP candidate. The actor will be contesting from Shibpur constituency in Howrah.

Controversial actor turned politician Hiran Chatterjee has been given a BJP ticket for Shyampur in Howrah. Chatterjee, a sitting MLA, had to vacate the Kharagpur Sadar seat for BJP heavyweight Dilip Ghosh earlier. Chatterjee was recently in the news for marrying model Ritika Giri in a ceremony held in Varanasi. Chatterjee's first wife, Anindita Chatterjee, publicly questioned the second marriage, stating that they were neither divorced nor legally separated and calling the union “illegal.”

Veteran Bengali actress Papiya De Adhikari will be contesting from South Kolkata’s Tollygunge area as a BJP candidate. Apart from featuring in films and television, Papiya has been a well known Jatra artist.

Another popular actress, Roopa Ganguly, who has featured in numerous Bengali films in the 1990s and famously played Draupadi in the TV show Mahabharat, will be contesting as a BJP candidate from the Shonarpur Dakshin constituency. The veteran actress has had a career in showbiz spanning over dour decades and has also won a National Award.