Dilip Ghosh

Dilip Ghosh is contesting the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections from the Kharagpur Sadar constituency, returning to a seat where he first made a major electoral breakthrough for the BJP.

A senior BJP leader and former state unit president, Ghosh is aiming to recreate his 2016 performance, when he ended the long dominance of the Congress in Kharagpur Sadar by defeating veteran MLA Gyan Singh Sohanpal. He later vacated the Assembly seat after being elected to the Lok Sabha in 2019, but is now back in the fray after losing his parliamentary bid in 2024.

Kharagpur Sadar, a politically competitive constituency in Paschim Medinipur, has seen frequent shifts in party control over the past decade, alternating between Congress, BJP and the Trinamool Congress. In the 2026 contest, Ghosh faces TMC’s Pradip Sarkar, setting up a contest between two familiar faces, alongside Congress candidate Papiya Chakraborty.

The constituency — home to key institutions like IIT Kharagpur and a major railway hub—faces persistent local issues, including pollution from nearby sponge iron factories, water scarcity and unemployment. Voters have also flagged concerns over stalled development projects and lack of coordination among agencies, making governance and delivery central themes in the campaign.

Electoral dynamics this time are further complicated by the deletion of a significant number of voters following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), adding an element of uncertainty to the outcome. With infrastructure projects underway and political stakes high, Kharagpur Sadar is shaping up as a closely watched contest in the 2026 elections.

Candidate Info: Dilip Ghosh is the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate contesting from Kharagpur Sadar (General) Assembly constituency for the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections. This male candidate is 61 years of age, according to the election affidavit submitted to the Election Commission of India.