India, Oct. 11 -- The political tussle following the deaths of 33 people in floods and landslides in four north Bengal districts on September 5, and the subsequent assault on a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP and two MLAs-allegedly by Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers-has set off the race for the local assembly seats months ahead of the 2026 West Bengal polls.

The BJP controls the majority of the assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies in the north Bengal region, comprising eight of West Bengal's 23 districts.

"Mamata Banerjee is making futile attempts to reach out to our voters by promising relief and rehabilitation. TMC will fail to make any headway in north Bengal," Bengal BJP unit president Samik Bhattacharya told HT on Thursday, hours...