In the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election for Baghmundi (240), Rahidas Mahato of the Bharatiya Janata Party secured victory with 1,12,663 votes, defeating All India Trinamool Congress candidate Sushanta Mahato, who polled 71,846 votes. The BJP registered a strong margin of 40,817 votes in the constituency. Congress candidate Nepal Chandra Mahato finished third with 31,686 votes, while other candidates from smaller parties and independents remained far behind. NOTA recorded 2,437 votes.Baghmundi (constituency no. 240) is situated in the Jhalda subdivision of Purulia district and is part of the Purulia Lok Sabha constituency. The constituency is surrounded by the Ajodhya Hills and forests, giving it a scenic, upland character distinct from the plains. The region is known for the Murguma reservoir and Ajodhya Hill dam, which are tourist attractions. Purulia is a tribal-influenced district and significant sections of its population belong to Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.In 2021, TMC’s Sushanta Mahato won the seat. In 2016, the TMC also held Baghmundi. The constituency has been in the TMC fold since 2011. Sushanta Mahato is the renominated TMC incumbent, with BJP’s Rahidas Mahato and Congress’s Nepal Chandra Mahato as challengers. The prevalence of the Mahato surname across all three parties reflects the dominance of the Kurmi-Mahato community in this belt. All three candidates share this community identity, meaning intra-community competition will be decisive. Tribal welfare, forest rights, and development of the hill region’s tourism potential are important local issues that candidates will need to address to sway voters.