Vote counting for the 2026 assembly elections commenced on Monday morning across four states and one Union Territory West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam, and Puducherry with results expected to determine which parties will retain or capture power by the end of the day. Polling in these regions took place in April, and the process of tallying votes began at 8 am.
In West Bengal, the contest for all 294 seats has centered on a sharp contest between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The election carries particular significance as the state has historically resisted the BJP’s advance. Adding to the stakes, Banerjee has strongly opposed the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls, which deleted around 89 lakh names equivalent to roughly 11.6 per cent of the electorate and slightly above the TMC’s winning margin from the 2021 polls.
Tamil Nadu’s 234 constituencies witnessed a three-cornered fight involving actor-turned-politician Vijay’s newly formed Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), the incumbent Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) alliance with Congress and DMDK, and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) partnered with the BJP and PMK. Attention remains focused on whether TVK chief Vijay will emerge as a surprise factor.
In Assam, with 126 seats in play, the BJP is seeking a third consecutive term. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is contesting from his stronghold of Jalukbari, while other notable candidates include Congress state chief Gaurav Gogoi from Jorhat, AIUDF leader Badruddin Ajmal from Binnakandi, and Raijor Dal chief Akhil Gogoi aiming to hold Sibsagar.
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Kerala’s 140 assembly seats see the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) aiming for a rare fifth straight victory, though exit polls had suggested an edge for the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF). Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is seeking a hat-trick from Dharmadam in Kannur district. The BJP has also positioned itself as an agent of change in the state.
In the Union Territory of Puducherry, which has 30 seats, Chief Minister N Rangaswamy’s All India N.R. Congress (AINRC) is looking to secure a fourth term.
As counting progressed, several key developments emerged. Mamata Banerjee urged TMC workers to remain vigilant, stay awake through the night, and report irregularities, citing reports of planned power cuts in various areas. Tensions were reported outside the counting centre in her Bhabanipur constituency in Kolkata.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin visited the Karunanidhi memorial on the eve of counting. The Election Commission clarified issues related to VVPAT slips amid concerns over EVMs in Bengal. Separately, repolling has been ordered in West Bengal’s Falta constituency due to irregularities, with fresh voting scheduled for May 21 and counting on May 24.