Five years ago, when Agnimitra Paul took on the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal's Paschim Bardhaman district on a BJP ticket, not many thought she stood a chance. Yet, she emerged victorious over Trinamool's Saayoni Ghosh by 4,487 votes in the Asansol Dakshin assembly seat.
In 2026, she faces Trinamool's Tapas Banerjee.
Rise In Politics
Agnimitra Paul joined the BJP in 2019 and within a little over a year was appointed president of the party's state women's wing.
Before entering politics, she studied at the Banwarilal Bhalotia College in Asansol and later trained in fashion designing.
Her political journey has also seen its share of controversies. In 2020, she faced pushback from within BJP after designing sarees with the party's lotus symbol and suggesting that women workers buy them. Some leaders felt that such a message from someone in a leadership role could come across as pressure.
More recently, her campaign trail has also seen resistance on the ground. During a door-to-door outreach in the New Egara area, protests broke out with slogans raised against her. The situation escalated into a confrontation between BJP and Trinamool supporters.
Trinamool Brings Back Tapas Banerjee
BJP has retained faith in her. But this time, the equation is slightly different. The Trinamool has brought back Tapas Banerjee, who represented Asansol Dakshin twice earlier, in 2011 and 2016, before contesting from Raniganj in 2021. His comeback signals the party's attempt to regain a seat. CPM has fielded Shilpi Chakraborty and Congress has nominated Souvik Mukherjee.
Trinamool is working hard to win support among voters and highlighting its welfare schemes. The party's confidence got a boost after Shatrughan Sinha won the 2022 bypoll in Asansol by a wide margin.
The voting in Asansol Dakshin will take place on April 23 and the results will be declared on May 4.
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