The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has unveiled its second list of candidates for the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections, naming contenders for 111 additional constituencies. This brings the total number of candidates announced by the party to 255 out of 294 seats. The first list, disclosed on March 14, included candidates for 144 constituencies, with 39 more yet to be revealed.
It remains uncertain whether the BJP will nominate its own candidates for the hill constituencies of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, and Kurseong, or defer to its hill alliance partner, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), founded by Bimal Gurung. The second list introduces three candidates from the entertainment industry, including former Rajya Sabha member and actress Roopa Ganguly, who will contest from Sonapur (Dakshin) in South 24 Parganas district against Trinamool Congress candidate Lovely Moitra.
Actor Hiran Chattopadhyay, a current BJP legislator, has been named in the second list but will now contest from Shyampur assembly constituency in Howrah district instead of his previous constituency of Kharagpur (Sadar) in West Midnapore district. The party has confirmed that former state BJP president Dilip Ghosh will run from Kharagpur (Sadar) this time. Another actress-turned-politician, Papiya Adhikari, is the third celebrity candidate in the second list, contesting from Tollygunge assembly constituency in South Kolkata.
Among other notable candidates, former Lok Sabha member Arjun Singh will represent the BJP from Noapara in North 24 Parganas district, while senior Calcutta High Court counsel Kaustav Chattopadhya, who switched from Congress to BJP, will contest from Barrackpore assembly constituency. Former Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nishith Pramanik, a former Lok Sabha member from Cooch Behar, is the BJP’s candidate from Mathabhanga assembly constituency in Cooch Behar district. The majority of current BJP legislators have been renominated in both the first and second lists.
