Smaller Muslim outfits, Congress push test TMC’s minority fortress ahead of Bengal polls

KOLKATA: (Mar 24) West Bengal’s minority vote bank is showing signs of churn ahead of the 2026 assembly elections, with smaller Muslim outfits, a resurgent Congress in north Bengal and simmering grievances testing the ruling TMC’s once-impregnable electoral fortress.

For nearly 15 years, minority voters have formed the backbone of the TMC’s electoral dominance in the state. Multiple players are now vying for a slice of the roughly 30 per cent minority electorate, which influences outcomes in more than 114 of the state’s 294 assembly seats.

Political observers said the emergence of players such as the Indian Secular Front (ISF) led by Nawsad Siddique, suspended TMC MLA Humayun Kabir’s AJUP aligning with AIMIM, and renewed Congress activity in Murshidabad and Malda has injected a new layer of uncertainty into Bengal’s minority electoral arithmetic.