Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam supporters burst crackers and distribute sweets in Tiruchi, celebrating the swearing-in of party president C. Joseph Vijay as Chief Minister on May 10, 2026.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

Changing tide: A UDF victory rally in Kannur, Kerala, on Monday. Kannur was considered a stronghold of the LDF in the State.
| Photo Credit: S.K. Mohan

BJP State president Rajeev Chandrasekhar joins party workers as they celebrate his election victory from the Nemom Assembly segment at the BJP State headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday.
| Photo Credit: NIRMAL HARINDRAN

Police and security personnel stand guard outside a strong room, ahead of the counting of votes for the West Bengal Assembly elections, at Sakhawat Memorial Government Girls’ High School, in Kolkata.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Citing a “systematic breakdown of law and order,” the Congress party demanded the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) for the immediate arrest of Papai Ghosh, whom they describe as a notorious repeat offender responsible for orchestrating violence in the Berhampore Assembly Constituency (AC-72).

The formal complaint, authored by Niloy Pramanik and addressed to Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal, alleges that the administration’s continued inaction has directly “emboldened” Ghosh and his associates to carry out escalating acts of brutality.

-ANI

Amid high-octave election campaigning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to participate in a roadshow in Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu, on Wednesday (April 15). The event is likely to be attended by AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami, BJP State president Nainar Nagenthran and other party leaders including K. Annamalai.

The Prime Minister has visited Kanniyakumari district several times in the past and delivered election campaign speeches. But, for the first time, he would conduct a roadshow in an open vehicle, allowing people to see him from close quarters, senior BJP leader Pon Radhakrishnan said.

Mr. Radhakrishnan said the event would begin at 3 p.m. and cover a distance of around a km. It would start at Kamaraj statue at Veppamoodu junction, pass through clock tower, Jeeva statue, Anna statue and conclude at M.G.R. statue in Vadasery.

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Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate and State Minister Shashi Panja is seeking a fourth consecutive term from the Shyampukur Assembly constituency as West Bengal heads into a two-phased Assembly election on April 23 and 29.

Representing a key urban segment in North Kolkata, Panja faces Bharatiya Janata Party’s first-time candidate Poornima Chakraborty in what is expected to be a closely watched contest, even as the TMC attempts to retain its long-standing hold over the seat.

Shyampukur, a general category constituency under the Kolkata Uttar Lok Sabha seat, holds significant political weight due to its urban character and historical electoral shifts. Shyampukur comprises of 11 wards of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.

Historically, the seat witnessed prolonged dominance by the Forward Bloc, which won it 10 times, while Congress secured it on four occasions. However, since 2011, the Trinamool Congress has firmly established its grip over the constituency.

-ANI

Congress leader Shama Mohamed has lashed out at the party leadership for overlooking women in the party’s candidate selection for the upcoming Assembly elections in Kerala.

In a post on her Facebook page on Friday, a day after the Congress put out its list of candidates, she said that only nine out of the 92 candidates of the party are women.

“I have been rejected, but not defeated. I request my leader Rahul Gandhi, whom I admire, respect, and adore, to help the Congress women of Kerala. In the Lok Sabha elections of 2024, only one woman was given a ticket out of the 16 persons who contested. If a woman happens to be talented, the situation is dire,” she wrote.

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The First Randomisation of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in connection with the forthcoming Election to the Assam Legislative Assembly, 2026, has been successfully conducted across all 35 districts covering 126 Assembly Constituencies on Wednesday (March 18, 2026).

The process was carried out in the offices of the respective District Election Officers (DEOs) in the presence of representatives from recognised National and State Political Parties, ensuring transparency and adherence to the guidelines of the Election Commission, a release said.

– ANI

Security personnel conduct a route march after the Election Commission announced the dates for the West Bengal Legislative Assembly election, in Bolpur, Birbhum district of West Bengal, Wednesday, March 18, 2026.
| Photo Credit:
PTI

The Election Commission on Wednesday (March 18, 2026) intensified preparations for the West Bengal Assembly elections, ordering a fresh reshuffle of senior officers, posting two secretaries to other poll-bound States as observers, and deploying 13 IAS and five IPS officers in key poll management roles, an official said.

Tamil Nadu election: Persons with disabilities to launch campaign for accessibility in Chennai

The BJP’s Central Election Committee held a meeting in New Delhi on Wednesday to discuss and finalise the names of the party candidates for the upcoming Assembly polls in Assam and Puducherry. The meeting, presided over by BJP chief Nitin Nabin, was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and party national general secretary (organisation) B.L. Santhosh, among others.

Assembly elections 2026 Highlights: Assam MP Pradyut Bordoloi joins BJP

In West Bengal, signs of simmering rebellion surfaced within the ruling TMC a day after the party unveiled its candidate list for the Assembly polls, with several sitting MLAs and leaders openly expressing resentment over being denied tickets in what the party describes as a sweeping “controlled churn” to counter anti-incumbency.

Editorial | Poll bugles: On the five Assembly elections

Assam, Kerala and the Union Territory of Puducherry will go to the polls on April 9, 2026. In Tamil Nadu, the election will be conducted on April 23. The first phase of elections will happen on April 23, 2026, in West Bengal and the second phase on April 29, 2026. The counting for all these elections will be held on May 4, 2026.