Former BJP MP Dilip Ghosh is leading by 16,090 votes over his nearest rival Pradip Sarkar of the TMC in Kharagpur Sadar assembly constituency in Paschim Medinipur district of West Bengal, according to the Election Commission. Ghosh, a former BJP state president, is polling 55,508 votes, while Sarkar has 39,418. Both Ghosh and Sarkar were former MLAs of the constituency. Ghosh had also represented the Medinipur Lok Sabha seat.  

The final result is yet to be declared, with counting still in progress.

Polling in Kharagpur Sadar

Voting in the Kharagpur Sadar Assembly constituency was conducted on 23 April as part of West Bengal’s multi-phase polling schedule for the 2026 state elections. The counting of votes for all 294 Assembly seats, including Kharagpur Sadar, will take place on 4 May. The constituency is located in the Paschim Medinipur district.

Major contenders in 2026

According to the Election Commission, nine candidates are contesting the Kharagpur Sadar seat this year.

The full list of contestants for the Kharagpur Sadar Assembly seat is as follows:

  • Pradip Sarkar (TMC)
  • Dilip Ghosh (BJP)
  • Dr Papiya Chakraborty (INC)
  • Madhusudan Roy (CPIM)
  • Gokul Khatick (BSP)
  • T Anil Singh (RLJP)
  • Suranjan Mahapatra (SUCIC)
  • Bishnu Kumar Sahu (IND)
  • Azfar Ali Khan (IND)

Previous election results

Hiranmoy Chattopadhyaya of the BJP won the Kharagpur Sadar Assembly seat in the 2021 West Bengal elections, securing about 46.4% of the vote. Chattopadhyaya received more than 79,607 votes, while the AITC’s Pradip Sarkar finished in second place. The Kharagpur Sadar contest that year featured five candidates: Pradip Sarkar (TMC), Hiranmoy Chattopadhyaya (BJP), Reeta Sharma (INC), D. Madhusudan Rao (HUMP) and Suranjan Mahapatra (SUCOIC).

Constituency profile

Kharagpur Sadar is among the 294 Assembly constituencies in West Bengal and is situated in the Paschim Medinipur district in the state’s south-western region. The seat is unreserved and open to the General category. According to demographic data, 10.52% of residents belong to the Scheduled Caste community, while 3.32% are from Scheduled Tribes. The constituency has a total electorate of 1,80,530, comprising 88,980 male voters and 91,542 female voters. As per the 2011 Census, Kharagpur Sadar records an overall literacy rate of 79.04%.

Exit poll trends

The 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, conducted in two phases under an unprecedented security presence, head into counting today with exit polls pointing to a closely fought contest between the TMC and the BJP. A combined “poll of polls” places the two main rivals virtually level, each projected to secure about 145 seats, while smaller parties are expected to claim up to four.

Individual surveys, however, offer sharply differing forecasts. Chanakya Strategies gives the BJP a slight advantage, estimating 150 to 160 seats, compared with 130 to 140 for the TMC. In contrast, People’s Pulse predicts a strong showing for the TMC, projecting 177 to 187 seats and assigning the BJP between 95 and 110. Matrize’s estimates fall somewhere in between, placing the BJP at 146 to 161 seats and the TMC at 125 to 140.