West Bengal Vidhan Sabha Elections 2026: As the election season approaches in the eastern state, instances of defections among political leaders are surfacing. Tapasi Mondal, the MLA representing Haldia constituency, has made her second political switch. Initially elected as a member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in 2016, she joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2020. On 10 March 2025, Tapasi Mondal joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC), led by CM Mamata Banerjee, a party she had previously criticized in 2021.
The upcoming elections will take place in March or April 2026. This election will decide the composition of the 294-member West Bengal Legislative Assembly for the next five years. The current assembly’s term concludes on May 7, 2026.
MLA Tapasi Mondal joined TMC in Kolkata on Monday, 10 March.
Tapasi Mondal Expelled from CPI(M)
In the 2016 West Bengal Legislative Assembly elections, Tapasi Mondal was nominated to contest as the candidate of the Left Front coalition from the Haldia constituency in the Purba Medinipur district.
‘s chief opponent was TMC candidate Madhurima Mandal.
The assembly election results revealed Tapasi Mondal as the winner, securing a lead of over 21,000 votes, with 50.17 percent of the votes, compared to 39.53 percent for Madhurima Mandal.
In December 2020, Mondal was expelled from her party after she announced her intention to join the BJP.
Tapasi Mondal Aided BJP in Penetrating CPI(M) Stronghold – Haldia
Historically a bastion of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Haldia, along with the nearby Khejuri, experienced significant political upheaval leading to the 2021 elections, especially after the violence during the Nandigram anti-land acquisition protests that brought the TMC to power.
, from the Left Front, was the BJP candidate, while Suvendu Adhikari, who had successfully ensured a TMC victory in Purba Medinipur during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, had also switched to become one of BJP’s prominent candidates.
In 2021, Bengal CM and TMC leader Mamata Banerjee expressed her strong ties to Haldia, recalling past conflicts with the CPM. She cautioned that a BJP-led government could threaten the town’s port and steel industry, endangering local livelihoods. Conversely, in February of that year, PM Narendra Modi announced infrastructure investments worth ₹4,700 crore in Haldia.
Tapasi Mondal Pressed Charges Against TMC for Attacks on Her Home
On January 29, 2021, Tapasi Mondal alleged that crude bombs were thrown at her home in Purba Medinipur by “TMC goons” as an attempt to “instill fear” among the local populace ahead of the 2021 Bengal Assembly elections.
In 2021, the BJP claimed that Haldia experienced political unrest since Suvendu Adhikari, a key figure in the region, switched allegiance from TMC to BJP.
