The Election Commission of India announced on Sunday the dates for the 2026 assembly elections in West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Assam, the results of which will be announced on May 4.
The polls in West Bengal would be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29, while that of Kerala, Puducherry and Assam will be in a single phase on April 9. Tamil Nadu will also go to polls in a single day on April 23, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said at a press conference in New Delhi.
The National Democratic Alliance led by the Bharatiya Janata Party, is in power in Assam and Puducherry. The rest are governed by the Trinamool Congress (Bengal), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam alliance (TN) and the Left Front (Kerala).
In Bengal, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee is eyeing a fourth consecutive term in power, while the opposition BJP is going all-out to turn the tables. The elections in Bengal are being held in the aftermath of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), which became a subject of intense politicking and also reached the Supreme Court.
DMK chief MK Stalin is eyeing a second term in power in Tamil Nadu. As for the opposition, AIADMK and BJP have tied up, but a big talking point in this election is actor-politician Vijay, who has entered the political arena with his party TVK.
Neighbouring Kerala is gearing up for a Left vs Congress battle. The state, known to change the ruling party every election, has already given two consecutive terms to veteran communist Pinarayi Vijayan, and he is looking to clinch a third. The Congress is emboldened by the results of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, but its poll efforts can succeed only if it can keep infighting in check.
The other battle this election season is being fought in Assam. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is eyeing a second term in power, while the Congress is hoping for a breakthrough. The opposition, led by state Congress chief and senior party leader Gaurav Gogoi, has seen some major exits over the past couple of months, including that of former state president Bhupen Borah, and will need to keep its house to pose a major challenge to the BJP.
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