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Assembly elections 2026: All you need to know as EC announces schedule for Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry

Desi Metros Staff
March 15, 2026 3 Mins Read

The Election Commission on Sunday announced the schedule for assembly elections in four states and one Union Territory, with polling set to begin on April 9 and counting scheduled for May 4.

Polling will be held in Assam, Kerala and Puducherry on April 9, while Tamil Nadu will vote on April 23. West Bengal will go to the polls in two phases on April 23 and April 29.

The elections will decide governments across 824 assembly seats in four states and one Union Territory.

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar announced the schedule at a press conference in New Delhi on Sunday. He was joined by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.

 

Election schedule announced

According to the Election Commission, polling across the five regions will take place on the following dates:

  • Assam: April 9

  • Kerala: April 9

  • Puducherry: April 9

  • Tamil Nadu: April 23

  • West Bengal: April 23 and April 29

The counting of votes for all 824 seats will be held on May 4, Kumar said.

Announcing the schedule, he stated:

“Voting for all seats in Assam will be held on April 9. Voting in West Bengal will take place in two phases on April 23 and April 29.

“The voting for all seats in Kerala and Puducherry will take place on April 9 while all Tamil Nadu seats will go to polls on April 23.”

Model Code of Conduct in force

The Model Code of Conduct came into force immediately after the announcement of the election schedule.

Kumar said the elections must be conducted without violence or inducement and warned that the Election Commission would take strong action against any violations.

Seats at stake

The elections will determine governments across 824 seats in the four states and the Union Territory.

  • West Bengal: 294 assembly seats

  • Tamil Nadu: 234 assembly seats

  • Kerala: 140 assembly seats

  • Assam: 126 assembly seats

  • Puducherry: 33 seats

The Puducherry assembly includes three members nominated by the Centre.

Current governments in the states

In West Bengal, Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee has been in power since 2011. The state has 294 assembly seats and will vote in two phases.

In Tamil Nadu, there are 234 assembly seats. DMK leader M K Stalin has been chief minister since May 7, 2021.

In Kerala, the assembly has 140 seats. Pinarayi Vijayan has been chief minister since 2016 and leads the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government.

In Assam, the assembly has 126 seats. The BJP has been in power in the state since 2016, and Himanta Biswa Sarma has served as chief minister since 2021.

In Puducherry, N Rangasamy has been chief minister since 2021. The Union Territory has 33 seats, including three nominated members.

With the schedule now announced and the Model Code of Conduct in force, political parties are expected to begin campaigning across the five regions ahead of voting in April.

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