On 8 April 2026, BJP released its final candidate list for the West Bengal Assembly elections. There was not a single Muslim name among all the candidates declared for 294 seats. On April 8, the party made Rakesh Singh the last candidate from Kolkata Port seat and completed the list, whereas in the last elections there were Muslim BJP candidates. So should we assume that BJP Muslims of Bengal no longer trust Muslims? Let us understand BJP’s Bengal magic in the explainer…
Question 1: How many Muslim candidates did BJP have in the last elections in Bengal? What was the result?
answer: The last assembly elections were held in West Bengal in 2021. At that time BJP had fielded Muslim candidates on only 8 out of 294 seats. These were mostly in Muslim dominated areas like Dinajpur, Malda and Murshidabad. But the results were shocking. Not even one of the 8 Muslim candidates won. Muslim dominated 112 seats were won by Trinamool Congress (TMC). TMC got 75% votes, while BJP got only 7%.
In Sujapur, Malda, a candidate got single digit votes in 244 out of 366 booths, 0 votes in 19 booths. BJP won 77 seats across Bengal, but its performance was very weak in Muslim areas.
Earlier in 2016, BJP had fielded only 3 Muslim candidates. None of these were successful. In 2016, BJP had got only 3 seats. That means the trend is clear that the numbers kept decreasing every time.
Question 2: So what is BJP’s strategy in the elections this time?
answer: BJP’s strategy is now completely based on ‘winnability first’. The party feels that Muslim candidates on BJP tickets do not get the support of Muslim voters. The Muslim population in Bengal is about 33%, but a large part of Muslim voters are strongly associated with TMC.
BJP is now focusing on 100% consolidation of Hindu votes. It wants to consolidate the Hindu population by raising the issue of ‘minority appeasement’ and emphasizing on issues like development, security, border security. Minority Morcha leaders are also saying that service to the community is not about fielding candidates, but about development and security.
Bengal BJP Minority Morcha President Ali Hussain clearly said, ‘The party believes that responsibility for any community does not depend only on fielding candidates from that community.’
After the defeat of Muslim candidates in 2021, the party concluded that even by giving tickets one does not get votes, hence it has completely turned its back on this route.
Question 3: How many Muslim candidates did other parties field in the 2026 Bengal elections?
answer: Compared to BJP, all other parties have placed bets on Muslim candidates:
- Congress: Maximum 78 Muslim candidates.
- TMC: 47 Muslim candidates.
- Left Front: 26 Muslim candidates.
- AIMIM and AJUP alliance: More than 12 candidates in Muslim dominated areas.
Due to BJP’s absence, the opposition is calling it ‘anti-Muslim’, but BJP argues that the responsibility is fulfilled not by ticket but by work.
Question 4: What impact can this decision have on the electoral equation?
answer: Political expert Rashid Kidwai says that in 2021, 75% of Muslim votes went to TMC. Even in 2026, most of the Muslim votes may go towards TMC or Congress. Votes may get divided by small parties like AIMIM. This could be an indirect benefit for BJP. Overall, BJP’s target is to increase its vote share to 38% in 2021 by consolidating Hindu votes. BJP also wants to fight Hindu vote consolidation in Muslim dominated seats. At the same time, TMC’s emphasis is on further strengthening the Muslim vote.
Experts believe that if Muslim vote is divided then BJP may benefit, but if TMC keeps it united then polarization of Muslim vote will further strengthen it.
Question 5: So how big is this decision and what next?
answer: This decision of 2026 is the clearest indication of BJP’s Bengal strategy that ‘winnability first, community representation later.’ There was no benefit in fielding 8 Muslim candidates in 2021, so the party has now sidelined it. For BJP, this is not just a candidate list, but a new direction of Bengal politics. BJP says that 2 lakh Muslim members will be served through development and not through tickets. But the opposition is calling it ‘ignoring Muslims’. The real decision will be taken on the day of counting on May 4, 2026.
