- By Aditya Jha
- Tue, 20 Jan 2026 07:17 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
2026 Elections: Several high-voltage elections are set to be conducted in 2026, with a chance of revival of opposition parties after a tough 2025. The assembly elections will be held in four states and one union territory-Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, and Puducherry-in the first half of the year. Apart from this, municipal corporation and other urban local body elections will also be conducted in Karnataka in the later months. Apart from Assam, the BJP is in the opposition in the other states where the election is due. While the saffron party is the major opposition in Bengal, its vote share is less than 20 per cent in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
West Bengal
While the saffron party significantly improved its tally in the 2021 Assembly polls, it could not dethrone the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC. The gap of vote share between the two parties was around 10 per cent. While the BJP will try to make its government in the eastern state for the first time, the TMC will contest to retain its power.
Tamil Nadu
The MK Stalin-led DMK government is likely to face a tougher challenge this time due to anti-incumbency and the entry of Vijay into politics. However, AIADMK, the key ally of BJP in the southern state, is dealing with internal conflicts, leading to losses in the recent polls.
Assam
The saffron party, under the leadership of Himanta Biswa Sarma, is ruling the state for the past ten years. While the BJP has maintained its hold in the urban regions, the Congress is likely to offer a challenge in the rural and Muslim-dominated regions.
Kerala
The Congress will contest to end the 10-year rule of the communists in the southern state. Apart from this, the BJP will try to increase its vote share and win some of the seats in the urban regions.
The opposition parties have the chance to retain the three states and register victory in Assam after a decade in 2026.