Elections 2026 highlights: Campaigns intensify in TN, WB as focus shifts from Assam, Puducherry, Kerala

Elections 2026 highlights: The 2026 Assembly polls are underway, with Assam, Kerala, and Puducherry having voted on April 9. Tamil Nadu and West Bengal follow on April 23 and 29. All eyes are now on the May 4 counting day to decide the fate of five regions.

Elections 2026 highlights: Tamil Nadu and West Bengal are set to vote on April 23 and 29. (ANI)

Elections 2026 highlights: The 2026 Assembly elections are unfolding across five key regions, with polling dates strategically split between April 9, April 23, and April 29. While voters in Kerala, Assam, and Puducherry have already cast their ballots as of April 9, the political spotlight now shifts toward Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, which are set to begin their polling phases later this month. The entire multi-state democratic exercise will culminate on May 4, when the counting of votes determines the future leadership of all five legislative bodies....Read More

Follow all the updates here:

• 12 Apr 2026, 05:54:42 PM IST

  Elections 2026 highlights: This live blog has been closed

  Elections 2026 highlights: Updates to this live blog have ended.

• 12 Apr 2026, 05:44:23 PM IST

  Elections 2026 live updates: Actor Vijay poses with bow and arrow, other fan gifts at Kanniyakumari rally | Watch

  Elections 2026 live updates: The election campaign in Tamil Nadu took a colorful turn as Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief and actor Vijay arrived in Kanniyakumari to a thunderous reception. During his massive roadshow, the actor was seen interacting warmly with a sea of supporters.

• 12 Apr 2026, 05:25:09 PM IST

  Elections 2026 live updates: Actor-turned-politician Vijay cycles during election campaign in Kanniyakumari | Watch

  Elections 2026 live updates: In a move that captured significant public attention, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay traded his motorcade for a bicycle during a high-energy campaign rally in Kanniyakumari. The actor-turned-politician used the gesture to connect with local voters as the Tamil Nadu assembly race enters its final stretch.

• 12 Apr 2026, 04:58:25 PM IST

  Elections 2026 live updates: Lakhdendra Paswan predicts end of Mamata Banerjee's tenure in West Bengal

  Elections 2026 live updates: Bihar Minister Lakhdendra Paswan has joined the chorus of NDA leaders forecasting a major political shift in the West Bengal assembly elections. Speaking from Patna, the Minister claimed that the current electoral cycle represents a definitive turning point for the state, suggesting that public sentiment has reached a breaking point after years of Trinamool Congress rule.

  “This time, the Assembly election will prove to be the final nail in the coffin for Mamata Banerjee...The entire populace of Bengal has made up their mind that this time the lotus will bloom there, and this time the people of Bengal themselves have decided on Mamata Banerjee's farewell,” he said.

  (ANI)

• 12 Apr 2026, 04:24:23 PM IST

  Elections 2026 live updates: ‘Siliguri is the gateway of North Bengal,’ says PM Modi

  Elections 2026 live updates: PM Modi participated in a massive public meeting in Siliguri and said, “Our Siliguri is the gateway of North Bengal. But the TMC has deliberately kept North Bengal’s infrastructure backward. Whether it is connectivity or industry, every sector has only seen neglect. The money sent by the central government was also looted by these syndicate operators.... TMC is only engaged day and night in appeasement of its particular vote bank."

  "Friends, when many districts of North Bengal were devastated due to heavy rains and there was chaos everywhere, the cruel TMC government was celebrating in Kolkata. TMC is an anti–North Bengal party. TMC is an anti-tribal party. TMC is an anti-tea garden party. TMC is a party against women and youth,” he added.

• 12 Apr 2026, 03:56:16 PM IST

  Elections 2026 live updates: PM Modi vows accountability for TMC at Siliguri rally

  Elections 2026 live updates: Addressing a massive gathering in Siliguri, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a stinging attack on the ruling Trinamool Congress, promising a new era of governance for North Bengal. The Prime Minister accused the TMC of long-standing neglect and using fear and political violence to suppress dissent.

  “After 4 May, a BJP government will be formed. And TMC will have to give account of every moment of the last 15 years. They will have to give account of every penny. For North Bengal, TMC’s policy has always been to threaten, create fear, keep people frightened and neglect them. Those who speak against TMC face political violence, they are threatened, intimidated, and party workers are even killed. But friends, enough is enough. Bengal will not tolerate this anymore. No more,” he said.

  (PTI)

• 12 Apr 2026, 03:30:12 PM IST

  Elections 2026 live updates: Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury emphasizes need for integrity in WB electoral rolls

  Elections 2026 live updates: Congress leader and Berhampore candidate Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has raised concerns regarding the foundation of the democratic process in West Bengal. During his campaign in Murshidabad, he stressed that the legitimacy of the upcoming vote depends entirely on the accuracy and fairness of the voter lists maintained by the authorities.

  “It is due to the abundant failure, miserable failure of the election commission as well as the state government of West Bengal that those common voters have turned into the worst casualty of this kind of exercise, which was unprecedented in our state earlier... Without having free and fair electoral rolls, free and fair elections cannot be possible... My proposal was to the Chief Minister of West Bengal that she should propose or urge upon the Election Commission, or even if she likes the Supreme Court, that the election should be postponed till the free and fair electoral rolls are prepared,” he said.

  (ANI)

• 12 Apr 2026, 03:10:02 PM IST

  Elections 2026 live updates: BJP's Samik Bhattacharya predicts end of TMC rule in West Bengal

  Elections 2026 live updates: West Bengal BJP President Samik Bhattacharya expressed confidence in a political shift following the upcoming assembly results, framing the election as a direct uprising by the citizens against the ruling party.

  “... 4th May, Didi's gone, ending fifteen years of suffering. From Gangotri to Gangasagar, the BJP government is rising. The public has already set the pace. This election is not just BJP vs TMC, it is also People vs TMC,” he said.

  (ANI)

• 12 Apr 2026, 01:48:16 PM IST

  Elections 2026 live updates: Deputy Election Commissioner reviews poll readiness in Tiruchirappalli

  Elections 2026 live updates: Bhanu Prakash Yeturu, the Deputy Election Commissioner, chaired a critical review meeting at the Trichy District Collectorate to fine-tune preparations for the upcoming assembly elections. Accompanied by Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik, the high-level session brought together election officials, police chiefs, and observers from 11 different districts to ensure a seamless voting process.

  (ANI)

• 12 Apr 2026, 01:27:41 PM IST

  Elections 2026 live updates: Delhi CM Rekha Gupta campaigns for BJP candidate Biman Ghosh in Pursurah

  Elections 2026 live updates: Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta intensified the BJP’s electoral push in West Bengal by holding a high-profile campaign in the Pursurah Assembly constituency.

  (ANI)

• 12 Apr 2026, 12:57:47 PM IST

  Elections 2026 live updates: A battle of ‘Tamil Nadu vs. Delhi’ as DMK dismisses TVK as BJP’s ‘B-team’

  Elections 2026 live updates: With the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections less than two weeks away, the political rhetoric is reaching a fever pitch. DMK’s Anna Nagar candidate, N Chitarasu, has framed the upcoming April 23 vote as a direct confrontation between state interests and the Central government, asserting that the contest is essentially "Tamil Nadu versus Delhi." While campaigning in Chennai, Chitarasu dismissed the presence of any effective local opposition and took a sharp jab at actor-turned-politician Vijay’s new party, TVK, labeling it a mere "B-team" of the BJP that will fail to influence the final outcome.

  (ANI)

• 12 Apr 2026, 12:21:54 PM IST

  Elections 2026 live updates: Welcome to this liveblog

  Elections 2026 live updates: Welcome to our live blog where you can get all the latest updates on the assembly elections happening in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.