Kunal Kumar Ghosh

Kunal Ghosh is making his Assembly election debut from Beleghata in the 2026 West Bengal polls, marking a new chapter in a long and eventful political career.

A former journalist in the vernacular media, Ghosh emerged as a vocal critic of the Left Front regime before rising within the Trinamool Congress. In 2012, he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the party leadership, cementing his position in state politics.

His trajectory, however, was disrupted in 2013 following the Saradha chit fund scam. Then CEO of the Saradha media group, Ghosh was arrested in November that year and later suspended by the TMC. Even after the CBI took over the probe, he remained openly critical of the party leadership. He was granted bail in 2016.

Ghosh gradually returned to the party fold, being appointed TMC spokesperson in July 2020 and elevated as the state general secretary in June 2021. However, in 2024, he was removed from the post after sharing stage with BJP leader Tapas Ray ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Days later, he re-emerged as a star campaigner following a reconciliation with the leadership.

His candidature from Beleghata is part of the TMC’s broader strategy to counter anti-incumbency by fielding new faces in key urban constituencies. The seat holds both symbolic and strategic importance for the party in Kolkata.

Ghosh is in a triangular contest against BJP’s Dr Partha Choudhary and the CPM’s Paramita Roy.

During the campaign, an FIR was registered against him over allegations of circulating a purportedly fake political document online, with claims that it was intended to mislead voters and damage the BJP’s reputation.

Candidate Info: Kunal Kumar Ghosh is the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate contesting from Beleghata (Scheduled Caste) Assembly constituency for the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections. This male candidate is 58 years of age, according to the election affidavit submitted to the Election Commission of India.