India, Oct. 5 -- The lights at Durga Puja pandals may still be flickering across West Bengal, with many idols yet to be immersed, but the State's political leaders are already hunkering down for a long and potentially bruising electoral battle. With roughly seven months to go before the Assembly polls, Bengal appears set for yet another polarising political duel.

Barely a day after Vijaya Dashami officially marked the end of Bengal's grandest festival, the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and its challenger, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), have shifted decisively into campaign mode for the 2026 Assembly election.

On Friday morning, central BJP heavyweights Bhupender Yadav and Biplab Kumar Deb touched down in Kolkata. Designated as the ...