West Bengal Assembly Election 2026 survey: Is Mamata Banerjee still voters’ top choice for CM?
With the West Bengal Assembly elections just weeks away, a new survey suggests that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee remains the most preferred choice to lead the state, even as the contest with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) intensifies.
The Election Commission is expected to announce the poll schedule for West Bengal along with Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Assam and Puducherry within a week. The elections are likely to be held around the same time as the 2021 polls, which took place between March and April.
According to the latest survey titled ‘West Bengal Elections 2026: Round 2 – Thematic’ by Vote Vibe, Mamata Banerjee continues to enjoy a clear advantage in the race for chief minister.
Around 42% of respondents said they would prefer Banerjee to continue as chief minister, while only 19% backed BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari for the top post.
The survey noted that Banerjee remains the dominant political figure in the state ahead of the elections. It also said the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) has largely retained its Muslim voter base and has managed to win the perception battle following Enforcement Directorate raids linked to political consultancy firm IPAC.
However, the poll also flagged challenges for the ruling party. The TMC faces concerns over unemployment and a perception that sections of SC/ST voters and younger voters may be drifting away. Unemployment emerged as the biggest issue among voters, cited by about 36% of respondents, followed by law and order concerns at 19%.
The BJP, on the other hand, appears to have gained traction with its narrative around illegal immigration. According to the survey, about 47% of respondents believe allegations that the TMC is facilitating illegal migration, while 33% remained neutral or said they could not say.
On the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in West Bengal, 38% of respondents believe the exercise is aimed at identifying illegal voters, while 29% see it as a routine administrative process.
When it comes to the performance of the Mamata Banerjee-led government, opinions remain divided. Over 34% of respondents rated the government’s performance as “excellent”, while 18% described it as “very poor”.
The last West Bengal Assembly election, held in eight phases between March 27 and April 29, 2021, resulted in a landslide victory for the TMC.
Mamata Banerjee’s party secured a decisive mandate despite predictions of a close contest with the BJP, which emerged as the main opposition with 77 seats in the 294-member Assembly.
Notably, the 2021 election marked the first time in West Bengal’s history that neither the Congress nor the Left parties managed to win a seat in the Assembly.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission has begun preparations for the upcoming polls by appointing returning officers for all 294 constituencies. In a first for the state, the poll body has upgraded returning officers in 152 constituencies to sub-divisional magistrates (SDMs) or equivalent senior officers.
The poll schedule is expected to be announced after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ongoing visit to Assam, with an official announcement likely on Sunday or Monday.
As campaigning gathers pace, the central question remains whether Mamata Banerjee can secure a fourth consecutive term or if the BJP can finally break the TMC’s stronghold in the state.