Rupa Ganguly won the Sonarpur Dakshin seat in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections. She contested on a BJP ticket and defeated Trinamool Congress incumbent Arundhuti Maitra by 35,782 votes. Outside Bengal, Ganguly is best known for playing Draupadi in BR Chopra’s Mahabharat (1988–1990).
Ganguly polled 1,28,970 votes, garnering around 52% of the total vote share. The victory was part of a wider survey by the BJP in the state. The party secured a majority to form the government of West Bengal for the first time.
However, it wasn’t the margin that grabbed the headlines. That was what she said afterwards.
Sheep on Sunday
In her post-victory remarks, Rupa Ganguly addressed what has become one of the strangest recurring themes of the Bengal election campaign. Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress has repeatedly raised the question of whether the BJP government would interfere with Bengali food habits.
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Mamata Banerjee’s party has repeatedly warned voters that BJP’s culture is foreign to Bengal. They suggested that the dietary restriction should follow the BJP’s victory.
Ganguly rejected it outright and with some colour. She said the Bengali identity of fish and rice would remain intact. She added that there will also be meat and mutton. She announced that she would eat mutton every Sunday.
The actress-turned-politician also said that she will eat fish and rice every day except Tuesday and Saturday.
“Who will stop me from eating fish and rice?” said Patrika to Anandabazar.
According to her, concerns about restricting food are false narratives for a long time.
BJP’s ‘Non-Veg’ Campaign
Ganguly’s remarks did not come in a vacuum. The BJP has put considerable effort into campaigning against the TMC’s food narrative.
BJP MP Anurag Thakur ate fish curry and rice in public in Kolkata. The BJP candidate from Bidhannagar famously campaigned while carrying a large fish. BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya clarified that the party had no plans to restrict fish, mutton or eggs.
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The message was consistent. The BJP wanted the voters of Bengal to see it as a party suited to their culture and their plate.
Rupa Ganguly on acting
Rupa Ganguly also addressed questions about her Tollywood past. She was blunt. She said she had no personal dreams related to the film industry at the moment.
Ganguly said her party has entrusted her with the responsibility of developing Sonarpur Dakshin. That’s what she would focus on.
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If the party commissioned more work, they would do that too, even if it meant double the effort. While acting, she pointedly asked, “Why should I act now? How much do actors in Bengal even earn for work?”
Her mother is missing
Away from the noise of the campaign, Ganguly took a quieter moment. She spoke to the publication about missing her mother on a day like this.
“She would cook boiled bitter gourd, boiled papaya, boiled potatoes, boiled eggs, green chillies, mustard oil and soft rice made from coarse grains,” Ganguly told the publication.
“Even a famous Muslim with henna in his beard is happy that I won. We have to see people as human beings. That’s what I do. That’s why Prime Minister Narendra Modi likes me so much,” she added.
