India, March 15 -- AIMIM plans to contest all 294 West Bengal Assembly seats in the 2026 elections, seeking Muslims' support.

KOLKATA: After anti-incumbency and corruption charges, Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee now faces a fresh challenge. The Hyderabad-based All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has decided to contest the 2026 West Bengal elections. It is targeting the same Muslim vote bank that has strongly supported Mamata Banerjee through the years.

According to the 2011 Census, Muslims constitute 27% of the electorate in West Bengal. This segment has always voted en bloc for the Trinamool Congress, which has been a key reason for the party's repeated electoral victories. In a pre...