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Sabina Yasmin’s wins from Bengal's Sujapur constituency
In the 2026 elections, Sabina Yasmin from AITC is contesting in Sujapur, shifting from Mothabari.
All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) senior leader and sitting Minister of State, Sabina Yasmin, wins from Bengal's Sujapur constituency in Malda district. A historic figure in Bengal politics as the state's first Muslim woman minister, Yasmin has shifted from her long-held seat of Mothabari this cycle to fortify the TMC’s presence in the Congress-dominated Sujapur belt.
Yasmin’s 2026 campaign is a strategic pivot. Since May 2021, she has served as the Minister of State for Irrigation and Waterways and North Bengal Development. On the campaign trail in Sujapur, she has framed the election as a battle for "continued development" versus "legacy politics," urging voters to choose the TMC’s welfare model over the traditional influence of the Ghani Khan Choudhury family.
Early Life
Born around 1978 (Age 48) in Karari Chandpur, Malda, Sabina Yasmin rose from grassroots administrative roles to the state cabinet. She is a highly educated leader, holding a Master of Arts from the University of North Bengal (2002). Her political career began in the Malda Zilla Parishad, where she served as the Sabhadipati (Chairperson) before making her assembly debut in 2011. Initially a member of the Congress, she joined the Trinamool Congress in 2018, citing a desire to work under Mamata Banerjee's leadership for the development of North Bengal. She is married to MD. Mehbub Alam, a businessman, and the couple remains a prominent power bloc in Malda.
About Sujapur Constituency
The Sujapur constituency, located in the heart of Malda, has traditionally been a bastion of the Congress party. In her 2026 affidavit, Yasmin declared total assets worth approximately ₹5.58 Crore, an increase from the ₹3.88 crore declared in 2021. Her holdings include significant agricultural land in English Bazar and non-agricultural property in Rajarhat, Kolkata.
For the 2026 polls, Yasmin faces a high-stakes challenge in this new territory. Her campaign has been defined by her work in irrigation infrastructure and the "Ghatal Master Plan" model applied to North Bengal's flood-prone regions. If elected, she has promised to establish a specialized Silk Processing Hub in Sujapur to support local weavers and upgrade the regional drainage network to prevent seasonal waterlogging.
What Happened in the Previous Elections?
In the 2021 Assembly elections, Sabina Yasmin won the Mothabari seat with a massive margin of 56,573 votes, securing nearly 60% of the total vote share. She defeated the BJP’s Shyam Chand Ghosh and famously overcame a challenge from Shehnaz Quadery, a niece of A.B.A. Ghani Khan Choudhury.
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Prior to her 2021 victory, she won the Mothabari seat in 2011 and 2016 as a Congress candidate before retaining it for the TMC. Her 2026 affidavit mentions one pending criminal case related to a political protest (Sections 341/323 of the IPC). Polling in Sujapur is taking place as part of the Malda phase of the elections, with Yasmin banking on her track record as a minister to breach the final Congress fortress in the district.
(With inputs from local bureaus and ECI affidavits)
