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

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

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.

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.

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)

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.

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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.