BJP Wins Naxalbari Seat with Two-Thirds Vote Share, Marking Historic Political Shift

BJP candidate Anandamay Barman won the Matigara-Naxalbari (Assembly Constituency 25) in West Bengal with 166,905 votes, defeating Trinamool Congress' Shankar Malakar by 104,265 votes. The CPI(M)'s Jharen Roy received 8,585 votes and Congress' Amitava Sarkar 5,498, reflecting a near-total erosion of leftist support in the constituency where the Naxalite uprising began in 1967.

The BJP's vote share in the constituency reached approximately 66.7%, up from 58% in 2021, when Barman first won the seat. In 2016, the BJP candidate finished third, behind the Congress and Trinamool Congress, indicating a sharp realignment in voter preference over the past decade.

Left parties, including the CPI(M), CPI(M-L), and SUC, collectively secured less than 5% of the vote, a stark contrast to the region's revolutionary past. The 2021 and 2026 results confirm a sustained decline of leftist influence in North Bengal, particularly in this historically significant constituency.

The Matigara-Naxalbari seat was created in 2011, with the Congress winning narrowly that year, followed by a visible but diminished Left presence. Since 2021, the BJP has emerged as the dominant force, capitalizing on anti-incumbency against Trinamool and the collapse of the opposition space.

State election officials have confirmed the results, and political analysts expect the BJP to consolidate its base in North Bengal ahead of future electoral contests, including the 2029 state assembly elections.