New Delhi (Gurpreet Singh): The Election Commission of India (ECI) has officially declared the schedule for the 2026 Assembly Elections across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam, and the Union Territory of Puducherry. During a high-stakes press conference on Sunday evening, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar outlined a comprehensive timeline covering 824 constituencies, with the counting of votes for all regions scheduled for May 4, 2026.
The electoral process kicks off on April 9 with single-phase polling in Assam, Kerala, and Puducherry. Tamil Nadu will cast its ballots in a single phase on April 23, while West Bengal will undergo a two-phase election on April 23 and April 29. Concurrent with these Assembly polls, byelections will be held in eight vacant seats across Goa, Karnataka, Gujarat, and Maharashtra. CEC Kumar emphasized that a record 17.4 crore voters are eligible to participate, with approximately 25 lakh election officials deployed across 2.19 lakh polling stations. To ensure transparency, the Commission has mandated that presiding officers upload digital voter turnout data every two hours throughout the polling days.
The lead-up to the announcement saw significant political repositioning. In Punjab, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann confirmed that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will not contest the elections in West Bengal and Kerala, choosing instead to consolidate its influence in existing strongholds like Punjab and Gujarat. In West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee made a final pre-poll move by announcing a Rs 500 hike in monthly honorariums for Hindu priests and Muslim muezzins. This decision follows a weekend of heavy political fire from the BJP, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah accusing the TMC administration of “appeasement politics” and failing to secure the state’s borders.
With the Model Code of Conduct now in force, all government welfare announcements and policy shifts are frozen. In West Bengal, the ECI is prioritizing security with over 1,500 companies of central forces requested for the two-phase battle. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu prepares for a crucial test for the DMK-led alliance against a revitalized AIADMK and an emerging BJP presence. As Assam and Kerala brace for their respective multi-cornered contests, the nation shifts its focus to what is expected to be one of the largest and most consequential democratic exercises of 2026.
