Congress to Contest All 294 West Bengal Assembly Seats Independently in 2026 Polls

The Indian National Congress has decided to contest all 294 seats independently in the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections, ending its decade-long alliance with the Left Front. This decision, made at a high-level meeting in New Delhi attended by senior leaders including Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, aims to rebuild the party's grassroots support after poor past performances. The Congress rejected a limited seat offer from the Trinamool Congress and seeks to present itself as a distinct alternative amid a four-cornered contest involving TMC, BJP, Left, and Congress.