{"id":215462,"date":"2026-04-10T12:14:57","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T06:44:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsfed.in\/english\/?p=215462"},"modified":"2026-04-10T12:14:57","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T06:44:57","slug":"wb-polls-phase-2-record-1525-candidates-in-fray-will-independent-surge-spoil-the-party-for-big-guns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsfed.in\/english\/wb-polls-phase-2-record-1525-candidates-in-fray-will-independent-surge-spoil-the-party-for-big-guns\/","title":{"rendered":"WB Polls Phase 2: Record 1,525 Candidates in Fray! Will Independent Surge Spoil the Party for Big Guns?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The stage is set for a high-octane showdown in the second phase of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly Elections. According to the Election Commission, a staggering 1,525 candidates are competing across 142 constituencies. With the nomination window now closed, the sheer volume of contenders suggests a much more fragmented and intense battle than in 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bhangar in South 24 Parganas has emerged as the most crowded battlefield with 20 candidates, the highest in this phase. Meanwhile, the prestigious Bhowanipore constituency is witnessing a unique challenge, where 9 out of 17 candidates are Independents. This surge in participation\u2014especially from independent factions\u2014is keeping major political parties on their toes. As the political heat intensifies, the second phase promises a thrilling contest that could redefine Bengal&#8217;s political landscape.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The stage is set for a high-octane showdown in the second phase of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly Elections. According to the Election Commission, a staggering 1,525 candidates are competing across 142 constituencies. With the nomination window now closed, the sheer volume of contenders suggests a much more fragmented and intense battle than in 2021. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":215463,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-215462","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-latest-news"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>WB Polls Phase 2: Record 1,525 Candidates in Fray! Will Independent Surge Spoil the Party for Big Guns? - Ekjhalak English<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/newsfed.in\/english\/wb-polls-phase-2-record-1525-candidates-in-fray-will-independent-surge-spoil-the-party-for-big-guns\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"WB Polls Phase 2: Record 1,525 Candidates in Fray! Will Independent Surge Spoil the Party for Big Guns? - Ekjhalak English\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The stage is set for a high-octane showdown in the second phase of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly Elections. According to the Election Commission, a staggering 1,525 candidates are competing across 142 constituencies. With the nomination window now closed, the sheer volume of contenders suggests a much more fragmented and intense battle than in 2021. 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