Agnimitra Paul, the newly elected MLA from Asansol Dakshin and vice president of the West Bengal BJP, has emerged as a dark horse for the chief minister's post as the party prepares to swear in its first-ever state government on Saturday after ending 15 years of Trinamool Congress rule.
The 51-year-old is not the frontrunner. Suvendu Adhikari, the man who defeated Banerjee in her own Bhabanipur backyard, holds that title. But in a party that installed a little-known face as Delhi's chief minister just months ago, Paul's name is being taken seriously — and not just by her supporters.
The Backstory
Before entering politics, Paul built a successful career in fashion, designing for Bollywood celebrities, including Sridevi and Mithun Chakraborty. She founded her own label, INGA, with retail stores across major Indian cities, and holds degrees from Jadavpur University and the Birla Institute of Liberal Arts and Management Sciences.
She joined the BJP in 2019, quickly emerging as a prominent party voice in West Bengal, rising through the ranks to head the BJP Mahila Morcha before being elevated as a senior office-bearer.
On Jan. 7, 2026, she was appointed vice president of the BJP's West Bengal unit. In the 2026 Assembly elections, she delivered convincingly — winning from Asansol Dakshin with a margin of over 40,000 votes, one of the more decisive individual results of the entire election.
The Context She Is Walking Into
The BJP secured 207 seats in the 293-member West Bengal Assembly, ending the Trinamool Congress's 15-year rule. Suvendu Adhikari — the former TMC minister who defected to the BJP in 2020 and defeated Mamata Banerjee in her own Bhabanipur stronghold — remains the acknowledged frontrunner and the man most credited with engineering the landslide.
But the BJP rarely does the obvious. The party appears to be weighing a strategy mirroring its Delhi playbook — appointing a woman as chief minister.
Women turned out in record numbers in the 2026 West Bengal polls, voting in even larger numbers than men, having long been the backbone of Mamata Banerjee's political base. Installing a woman at the post would be a pointed, calculated move to absorb that constituency.
ALSO READ: Vijay's TVK Vs AIADMK-DMK — Who Will Form Govt In Tamil Nadu? Experts Divided | 10 Key Points
The Shadow: 23 Criminal Cases
No profile of Paul is complete without the number 23. Her election affidavit declares 23 pending criminal cases — charges related to political protests and demonstrations. The cases also reportedly include accusations related to promoting hostility between groups. She has not been convicted in any of them.
The disclosures have sparked debate around accountability and candidates with pending cases occupying high office. Critics argue the record raises governance concerns, while supporters maintain the cases stem from political activism rather than serious criminal wrongdoing. In the context of Bengal politics, where protest defines careers, the number is not an anomaly — but for someone potentially heading a government, it remains a scrutiny flashpoint.
Who Else Is In The Frame?
The CM race remains genuinely open. Beyond Adhikari, state BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya — who ran the party's electoral campaign — is in contention despite being a Rajya Sabha member.
Dilip Ghosh, the former state president who built BJP's organisational base in Bengal over years, and former Union minister Nisith Pramanik are also reportedly in the running.
On the women's side, Roopa Ganguly — who won Sonarpur Dakshin by over 35,000 votes — is the other prominent female name being considered alongside Paul.
With the oath-taking ceremony announced for Saturday, the BJP's central observer is expected in Kolkata imminently to convene the legislature party meeting and formalise the choice.
ALSO READ: West Bengal Assembly, Cabinet Dissolved; Mamata Banerjee No Longer CM
Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.