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In the West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026, Mayna Murmu of the Bharatiya Janata Party secured a convincing win in Manbazar (Assembly Constituency 243), defeating Trinamool Congress candidate Sandhya Rani Tudu by a margin of 27,283 votes.Murmu polled 1,20,487 votes after all 16 rounds of counting, while Tudu secured 93,204 votes.Manbazar (ST), Assembly Constituency No. 243, lies in Puruliya district in South Bengal, within the Manbazar sub-division near the Jharkhand border. The constituency covers Manbazar I and II community development blocks, characterized by laterite hills, seasonal rivers, and agricultural plains interspersed with forest tracts. With over 244,000 electors, the constituency has a high concentration of Scheduled Tribe communities (Santhal, Bhumij, Kurmi) alongside OBC peasant groups dependent on rainfed paddy, forest produce, and daily wage labour.Key issues include access to drinking water (severe in dry months), MGNREGA implementation, housing under PMAY, lack of industry, persistent youth outmigration, poor healthcare infrastructure, and land rights. Once under Left Front influence, now firmly bipolar TMC-BJP. Under Purulia Lok Sabha jurisdiction; high turnout (86.5per cent).In 2021, TMC's Sandhyarani Tudu—a woman ST MLA—won by 15,516 votes (~7.3per cent of 211,438 total votes), defeating BJP's tribal challenger with a comfortable margin. A moderately safe TMC seat reflecting tribal welfare consolidation; the woman ST winner adds social significance. Critical to TMC's Purulia district arithmetic, forming a tribal bloc with Bandwan and Baghmundi within Purulia Lok Sabha.