West Bengal
StateWB• Eastern India
Capital
Kolkata
Largest City
Kolkata
Formation Date
15 August 1947
Statehood
15 August 1947
Emblem of West Bengal
Population
9.13 Cr
2011 census
Area
88,752 km²
Districts
23
Lok Sabha Seats
42
Rajya Sabha Seats
16
Assembly Seats
294
Legislative Council
0
No council
About West Bengal
West Bengal was created in 1947 after the partition of Bengal.
- State Code
- WB
- ISO Code
- IN-WB
- Official Language
- Bengali
- Additional Language
- Nepali, Hindi, Urdu, Santali, Odia
- Region
- Eastern India
- Zone
- Eastern Zonal Council
- Time Zone
- Asia/Kolkata
Current Leadership
(3)SA
RR
R. N. Ravi
Governor
Since 12 Mar 2026
SA
State Symbols
Animal
Fishing cat
Bird
White-throated kingfisher
Flower
Sheuli
Tree
Chatim
Aquatic animal
Ganges river dolphin
Fish
Hilsa
Sport
Football
Legislative Strength
42
Lok Sabha Seats
16
Rajya Sabha Seats
294
Assembly Seats
0
Legislative Council Seats
Party-wise Strength (Assembly)
(294 seats)Loading chart…
293
Seats held
- Bharatiya Janata Party20770.6%
- All India Trinamool Congress8027.3%
- Indian National Congress20.7%
- Aam Janata Unnayan Party20.7%
- Communist Party of India (Marxist)10.3%
- All India Secular Front10.3%
Majority mark 148Vacant 1
Major Political Parties
(6)
BJP
207 MLAs
AITC
80 MLAs
INC
2 MLAs
AJU
AJU
2 MLAs
CPI
CPI
1 MLA
AIS
AIS
1 MLA
Demographics
(2011)9.13 Cr
Population
1,028
Population Density (per km²)
76.26%
Literacy Rate
81.69%
Male Literacy
70.54%
Female Literacy
2.91 Cr
Urban Population
6.22 Cr
Rural Population
Assembly Reserved Seats
Loading chart…
294
Total Seats
- General21071.4%
- SC6823.1%
- ST165.4%
Key Facts
- State DayPoila Boishakh
- Sitting MLAs293
- Sitting MPs58
- Sitting MLCs0
- High CourtCalcutta High Court
- Time ZoneAsia/Kolkata
- Next Assembly ElectionExpected 2031
Lok Sabha Strength
(42 seats)Loading chart…
42
Seats held
- All India Trinamool Congress2969.0%
- Bharatiya Janata Party1228.6%
- Indian National Congress12.4%
Legislature
West Bengal Legislative Assembly
- Seats
- 294
- Current term
- 8 May 2026 – 7 May 2031
- Last election
- 2026
- Next expected
- 2031
- Majority mark
- 148
- Government strength
- 207
- Opposition strength
- 86
- Reserved (SC / ST)
- 68 / 16
Legislative Council
West Bengal has no legislative council.
Lok Sabha
- Seats
- 42
- Current term
- 24 Jun 2024 – 23 Jun 2029
- Last election
- 2024
Rajya Sabha
- Seats
- 16
- House type
- Upper House of Parliament
- Member term
- 6 years
West Bengal Assembly Election 2026 — Result
Winner
Bharatiya Janata Party
207 seats
Runner-up
All India Trinamool Congress
80 seats
Source: Election Commission of India
Assembly Election History
(2 elections)Seats WonVote Share (%)
Loading chart…
| Year | Winner | Seats | Vote Share | Runner-up | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | BJP | 207 | — | AITC | 80 |
| 2021 | AITC | 213 | 47.94% | BJP | 77 |
Districts & Administration
(26 districts)District profiles (26 of 26)
- Alipurduar
- Bankura
- Birbhum
- Cooch Behar
- Dakshin Dinajpur
- Darjeeling
- Hooghly
- Howrah
- Jalpaiguri
- Jhargram
- Kalimpong
- Kolkata
- Malda
- Murshidabad
- Nadia
- North 24 Parganas
- Paschim Bardhaman
- Paschim Medinipur
- Purba Bardhaman
- Purba Medinipur
- Purulia
- South 24 Parganas
- Uttar Dinajpur
- Sundarbans Coastal Region
- Kolkata South Urban Belt
- Jangipur Sub-Region
- Districts
- 23
- Divisions
- 5
- Cities & towns
- —
- Alipurduar
- Bankura
- Birbhum
- Cooch Behar
- Dakshin Dinajpur
- Darjeeling
- Hooghly
- Howrah
- Jalpaiguri
- Jhargram
- Kalimpong
- Kolkata
- Malda
- Murshidabad
- Nadia
- North 24 Parganas
- Paschim Bardhaman
- Paschim Medinipur
- Purba Bardhaman
- Purba Medinipur
- Purulia
- South 24 Parganas
- Uttar Dinajpur
- Sundarbans Coastal Region
- Kolkata South Urban Belt
- Jangipur Sub-Region
Economy (2026-27)
- GSDP
- ₹21,48,244 Cr
- GSDP growth
- 8%
- Per capita income
- 1,98,451 INR
- Revenue
- ₹3,21,747 Cr
- Expenditure
- ₹3,84,169 Cr
- Major industries
- Services, Manufacturing, Jute, Tea, Steel, Engineering, IT
Budget (FY 2026-27)
- Total expenditure
- ₹4,38,775 Cr
- Total receipts
- ₹4,27,135 Cr
- Borrowings
- ₹1,05,388 Cr
- Fiscal deficit
- ₹62,421 Cr
- Fiscal deficit / GSDP
- 2.9%
- Revenue surplus
- ₹-21,984 Cr
- Debt repayment
- ₹54,607 Cr
- Primary deficit
- ₹9,387 Cr
Development Indicators
- Literacy
- 76.26%
Formation & History
- 15 August 1947: West Bengal became a state of independent India.
Constitutional & Statutory Bodies
- High Court
- Calcutta High Court
- High Court seat
- Kolkata
- State Election Commission
- West Bengal State Election Commission
- Public Service Commission
- West Bengal Public Service Commission
- Information Commission
- West Bengal Information Commission
- Lokayukta
- Lokayukta West Bengal
- Human Rights Commission
- West Bengal Human Rights Commission
- Women's Commission
- West Bengal Commission for Women
- Pollution Control Board
- West Bengal Pollution Control Board
Exam & Static GK
West Bengal for competitive exams — 13 topics, 30 revision cards, and a self-marking practice set.
Quick Revision
9Capital
Kolkata
Area
88,752 km²
Population
9.13 Cr
Literacy
76.26%
Districts
23
State Code
WB
Lok Sabha
42
Rajya Sabha
16
Assembly
294
Firsts on Record
- Rabindranath TagoreAwarded Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913.
Key Facts
- Highest point
- Sandakphu
Neighbouring States
5- Sikkim
- Bihar
- Jharkhand
- Odisha
- Assam
Major Rivers
5- Ganga
- Hooghly
- Teesta
- Damodar
- Mahananda
National Parks
6- Sundarbans
- Gorumara
- Jaldapara
- Singalila
- Neora Valley
- Buxa
Wildlife Sanctuaries
3- Sajnekhali
- Mahananda
- Raiganj
Historical Places
4- Victoria Memorial
- Sundarbans
- Bishnupur temples
- Dakshineswar
Headline Figures
2- Budget (2026-27)
- ₹4,38,775 Cr
- Financial Year
- 2026-27
Major Crops
6- Rice
- Potato
- Jute
- Tea
- Wheat
- Maize
Major Industries
7- Services
- Manufacturing
- Jute
- Tea
- Steel
- Engineering
- IT
Industrial Corridors
2- Amritsar-Kolkata Industrial Corridor
- East Coast Economic Corridor
Exam Notes
- Budget figures are copied from the base state file and should be re-verified before publication.
State Symbols
8- Animal
- Fishing cat
- Bird
- White-throated kingfisher
- Flower
- Sheuli
- Tree
- Chatim
- Aquatic Animal
- Ganges river dolphin
- Fish
- Hilsa
- Sport
- Football
- Song
- Banglar Mati Banglar Jol
Revolts & Movements
3- Swadeshi Movement
- Partition of Bengal 1905
- Revolutionary movement in Bengal
IITs
- IIT Kharagpur
IIMs
- IIM Calcutta
AIIMS
- AIIMS Kalyani
Major Universities
3- University of Calcutta
- Jadavpur University
- University of Burdwan
Expressways
2- Kona Expressway
- Durgapur Expressway
Airports
3- Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport
- Bagdogra Airport
- Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport
Metro Projects
- Kolkata Metro
Government Schemes
3- Lakshmir BhandarHigh relevance
- Swasthya SathiHigh relevance
- Krishak BandhuHigh relevance
City Nicknames
2- Kolkata“City of Joy”
- Darjeeling“Queen of the Hills”
Largest, Longest, First
- Major literary and cultural centreKolkataHistorically significant for Indian literature, theatre, publishing and arts.
One-Line Facts
6- Capital — Kolkata.
- Districts — 23.
- Formation/formation date recorded in the base data — 1947-08-15.
- State animal — Fishing cat.
- State bird — White-throated kingfisher.
- Highest point — Sandakphu.
Latest Assembly Election
5- Year
- 2026
- Winner
- Bharatiya Janata Party
- Winner seats
- 207
- Runner-up
- All India Trinamool Congress
- Runner-up seats
- 80
Latest Lok Sabha Election
2- Year
- 2024
- Total seats
- 42
Exam Facts
- West Bengal has 42 Lok Sabha seats.
Recently Updated
2- State Budget2026-09-11Base dataset records the state budget/outlay value as 438775 INR crore.
- Political/administrative event2026: BJP won 207 declared seats and formed the new state government.
GK sources
- Government of West Bengal
- Lok Bhavan West Bengal
- Election Commission of India
- PRS - West Bengal Budget Analysis 2026-27
Major Cities & Destinations
- KolkataCapital
- DarjeelingDestination
- SundarbansDestination
- DighaDestination
- KalimpongDestination
- DooarsDestination
- MurshidabadDestination
- BishnupurDestination
Quick Links
Sources
- Government of West Bengal
- Lok Bhavan West Bengal
- Election Commission of India
- PRS - West Bengal Budget Analysis 2026-27
Verified as of 2026-09-11
Compiled from public records.