Election Date 2026: The Election Commission of India has announced the dates for the Assembly elections in Kerala, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, and Puducherry today. A press conference was held at 4 pm.
The Election Commission just rolled out the election schedule for four states and one Union Territory: West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam, and Puducherry.
Assam Election Dates
Assam will head for voting on April 9 in single phase, with results coming in on May 4. Kerala, now officially called Keralam, heads to the polls on April 9, and voters will find out who wins on May 4. The new assembly will have 140 seats up for grabs.
West Bengal’s election will stretch over two phases. People in the state will vote on April 23 and April 29. Just like the others, counting kicks off on May 4.
Tamil Nadu keeps it simple: one phase on April 23, with the results set for May 4.
Kerala, Assam, and Puducherry will all cast their votes in a single phase on April 9. The results of these will also be declared on May 4.
Schedule for #AssamElections2026👇#Phase1
🗓️Date of Poll: 09-04-2026🗓️Date of Counting: 04-05-2026#ECI #AssamAssemblyElections pic.twitter.com/FO2yJ8KGbQ
— Election Commission of India (@ECISVEEP) March 15, 2026
Election in 5 states: Numbers You Need To Know
KERALA WILL HEAD TO THE POLLS ON 9TH APRIL
ASSAM WILL HEAD TO THE POLLS ON 9TH APRIL
SINGLE PHASE POLLING IN PUDUCHERRY, ASSAM, TAMIL NADU
2-phase polling for WB: WEST BENGAL HEADS TO POLLS ON 23 AND 29 APRIL
TAMIL NADU WILL HEAD TO THE POLLS ON APRIL 23
Puducherry WILL HEAD TO THE POLLS ON APRIL 9
Total electors -17.4 crs
Total assembly constituencies -824
Total polling Stations -2.19 Lakh
Total Election officials -25 Lakhs
#WATCH | Delhi: Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar says, “Electors of Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. During the past few days, the Commission visited all the poll-bound states to review the preparedness for the ensuing Assembly elections. During… pic.twitter.com/R2bwQRVUs2
— ANI (@ANI) March 15, 2026
Election Date 2026
This time, the elections won’t drag on quite like they did in 2021. Back then, West Bengal voted in eight phases and Assam had three, but now, most states are set for fewer phases.
Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry look ready to finish up in just one phase each. West Bengal and Assam will probably go for multi-phase polling, but it won’t be as stretched out as before.
Security’s going to be tight. They’re gearing up to deploy a huge force, over 1,500 companies of the central armed police, which means about 1.4 lakh personnel on the ground. That’s even more than what we saw during the Jammu & Kashmir polls earlier this year.
Expect fierce competition, especially in West Bengal. Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress and the BJP are the main contenders for 294 seats there. In Assam, it’s a showdown between the BJP-led NDA and Congress for 126 seats.
Over in Kerala, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and United Democratic Front (UDF) are the primary rivals vying for 140 seats, while the BJP-led NDA is contesting about 100 seats, handing the other 40 to its allies BDJS and Twenty20.
Tamil Nadu’s heating up too, parties are scrambling to finalise candidates and seat-sharing deals for all 234 assembly seats. In Puducherry, all 30 constituencies go to the polls. The Congress teams up with the DMK and CPI, and they’re up against the AIADMK, BJP, and All India NR Congress.
To keep things clean and fair, the Election Commission has appointed Central Observers as per Article 324 of the Constitution and Section 20B of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
These officials will be on the ground, keeping an eye on the whole process and making sure polling runs smoothly.
