Assembly Election 2026 Dates Announced LIVE: West Bengal Polls In 2 Phases On April 23 And 29, Kerala, Assam To Vote On April 9; Counting On May 4

The Phase 2 of West Bengal Assembly elections will see voting in 142 seats. Check full schedule announced by the Election Commission:

West Bengal Assembly Elections Phase 1 voting will be held in 152 seats.

The West Bengal Assembly Election 2026 will be held in two phases, unlike before, when the state saw 5 phases of polling. Announcing the poll schedule, the Election Commission said West Bengal will go to polls on April 23 and 29. The counting of votes will be held on May 4 along with the other 4 states.

The Tamil Nadu Election 2026 will be held on April 23 in a single phase. The Election Commission will conduct the counting of votes in Tamil Nadu on May 4, 2026.

The Puducherry Assembly Election 2026 will be conducted in one phase on April 9 and the counting of votes will be done on May 4, 2026.

The Kerala Assembly Election 2026 will be held in single phase on April 9, 2026. The counting of votes in Kerala will be held on May 4. 

The Assam Assembly Election 2026 will be held on April 9 and the counting of votes will take place on May 4, 2026.

The four states (Kerala, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam) and a UT (Puducherry) have a total elector base of 17.4 crore. The voting will be carried out at 2.19 lakh polling stations under the watch of approximately 25 lakh election officials.

The SIR process was held to ensure that no eligible voter is left out and no ineligible voters is allowed to take part in the Assembly polls, says CEC Gyanesh Kumar.

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar addresses the electors of Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. He says, "During the past few days, the Commission visited all the poll-bound states to review the preparedness for the ensuing  Assembly elections. During these elections, during these visits, the Commission met all the recognised political parties and received their suggestions. The Commission also met the district electoral officers, the SPs, the IGs, the DIGs and nodal officers of all the enforcement agencies. The Commission also had meetings with the Chief Electoral Officers, Chief Secretaries and DGPs of the respective states and union territories..."

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar addresses the press briefing and hails the "great democratice exercise". He urges every voter to take part in the exercise. 

The Election Commisson begins its press conference to announce the dates for state Assembly polls in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Puducherry.

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee announces that all state employees and pensioners will start receiving their ROPA 2009 DA arrears from March 2026 onwards.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee raises the allowance for priests and Imams by Rs 500 to Rs 2,000 ahead of Assembly poll schedule announcement.

Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar commented on the upcoming poll schedule for five states, saying the Election Commission is doing its duty as per the government’s instructions. He added that the Congress is waiting and watching for the official announcement.

The Congress party on Saturday released its second list of 23 candidates for the upcoming Assam Legislative Assembly elections, further intensifying the party's campaign preparations in the state. So far, Congress has declared candidates for 65 constituencies. Earlier, it had announced its first list of 42 candidates, signalling an early start to its electoral campaign in the politically crucial northeastern state.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday announced its first list of candidates for the upcoming 2026 Assam Assembly elections, naming 14 nominees across several constituencies in the state. According to an official announcement issued by the party, the list includes candidates from constituencies spread across Upper Assam, Central Assam and parts of Lower Assam.

BJP MP Gulam Ali Khatana on Sunday said the Bhartiya Janata Party is prepared for the elections and is committed to the interest of the people 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

"The BJP remains prepared for elections 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in the interest of the people. Whether they are general elections, assembly elections, or panchayat elections, we are always ready, and our people are always working," he stated to ANI.

DMK Minister K N Nehru urges party workers to campaign relentlessly for the next 40 days as elections approach. He highlights Rs 35,000 crore in development projects and welfare schemes in Tiruchirappalli to gain voter support.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) will hold a press conference to announce the schedule for the 2026 General Elections to the Legislative Assemblies of Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal. The conference is scheduled for 4 PM on Sunday. Click to watch live announcement.

Link to watch live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKegEFNzjFk

Puducherry will hold elections for all 30 constituencies of the 16th Puducherry Legislative Assembly. The Congress is contesting in an alliance with DMK and CPI while the opposition comprises of the All India NR Congress, BJP and the AIADMK.

In the 2021 Puducherry Assembly Elections, the All India N. R. Congress (AINRC) led with 10 seats. DMK got 6 seats, followed by the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress at 6 seats each. The voter turnout was 84.8 per cent.

Before that, in the 2016 Puducherry Assembly Elections, Congress won with 15 seats, followed by AINRC at 8 seats, AIADMK at 4 seats and DMK at 2 seats. The voter turnout was 83.6 per cent.

Elections will be held for the 234 seats of the Tamil Nadu Assembly with incumbent chief minster MK Stalin-led Secular Progressive Alliance seeking a second consecutive term pitted against the BJP-AIADMK-led National Democratic Alliance.

In the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) won with 133 seats. All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) followed with 66 seats. Congress stood at 18 seats. The state saw a voter turnout of 76.6 per cent.

Prior to that, in the 2016 Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections, AIADMK took the lead with 134 seats, DMK won 89 seats, followed by Congress at 8 seats. The voter turnout was 73.6 per cent.

Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry held their last assembly elections in a single phase. The states and UT completed voting in one go during the last polls.

In West Bengal, the upcoming elections may be held in 2-4 phases. The 2021 Assembly polls, by contrast, were conducted over eight phases.

Polls are due in West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Assam and Puducherry. The terms of these legislative assemblies are ending in May and June.

The Election Commission will announce dates for assembly polls in Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal and Puducherry on Sunday evening. The poll authority has convened a press conference at 4 pm to announce the schedule.