Former Kolkata mayor Sovan Chatterjee is likely to be the candidate for the Behala West Assembly constituency in the 2026 Lok Sabha polls. Such speculation is rising around a poster.
While there was no immediate reaction from Sovan, his wife and Behala East MLA Ratna Chatterjee said, "My personal relationship with Sovan Chatterjee is not an issue in the field of politics. I'm a team partner. If the party needs him, I will have to campaign in support of him. Because he's also the party's candidate.”
However, she added, "Some unnecessary discussions are going on. TMC Chairman Mamata Banerjee and Secretary Abhishek Banerjee will decide who will contest and where. No one knows anything yet. So I think the assumption that the uproar has started is just speculation. ’
A poster was seen on the streets of Behala on Tuesday. "Thank you to party supremeo Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee for appointing Sovan Chatterjee as NKDA chairman- Behala Nagorik Moncho”. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee recently visited Darjeeling. There, Shobhan spoke to him face-to-face. Soon after, Shovon was named as the chairman of the New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA).
Partha Chatterjee has been contesting from Behala West for nearly two and a half decades. He is currently in jail on charges of educational corruption. His release from prison is uncertain before the 2026 election.
Again, a section of political analysts says that there is doubt about whether Partha will get a ticket even if he is released from jail. Arup Chakraborty, one of the Trinamool spokespersons and councillor of ward number 98, said, "The posters have been put up in wards 130 and 131. Sovan Chatterjee's original home is in ward number 131. From this ward, he became a councillor and sat in the mayor's post. Anyone can put up this poster from the solidarity of the people of the area towards the son of the house. ’
However, there was no reaction from Shovon on the issue. Sajal Ghosh, state BJP spokesperson and councillor of ward number 50 in Kolkata, said, "This poster, this post is not a victory of Shovandar, but a victory of Baisakhidi.”
