Assembly Election 2026: ECI unveils poll schedule for Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Puducherry; check details

Counting of votes for all four states and the Union Territory will be held on May 4.

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar described the elections as a “festival of pride” and urged first-time voters to participate actively in the democratic process.

“My dear friends, you are about to step into one of the most important responsibilities of your life, exercising your democratic right, the right to vote. I urge you to participate enthusiastically in this great democratic exercise and cast your vote with pride, responsibility and confidence,” he said.

Kumar emphasised that young voters play a crucial role in shaping the future of both their states and the nation.

The Chief Election Commissioner was accompanied at the briefing by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.

The ECI said a Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls has already been conducted in all four states and Puducherry, and the final voters’ lists have been published.

ECI reviews poll preparedness in election-bound states

Earlier this month, Kumar along with the Election Commissioners visited West Bengal and other poll-bound states to review election preparedness and assess arrangements for conducting free and fair elections.

West Bengal has 294 Assembly seats, with the main contest expected between the ruling All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The TMC, led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, has been in power in the state since 2011.

In Assam, the battle for 126 Assembly seats is likely to be fought primarily between the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance and the Indian National Congress.

Kerala will see a contest for its 140 Assembly seats mainly between the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF). The BJP-led NDA is also in the fray, with the BJP planning to contest around 100 seats, while its allies Bharat Dharma Jana Sena and Twenty20 are expected to contest the remaining seats.

For the 234-member Assembly in Tamil Nadu, political parties have intensified their campaign efforts and are finalising seat-sharing arrangements within their respective alliances.

Puducherry will hold elections for all 30 constituencies of its Legislative Assembly. The Congress-led alliance includes the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the Communist Party of India (CPI), while the opposition alliance comprises the All India NR Congress, the BJP and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).

The ECI has also appointed central observers under the powers granted by Article 324 of the Constitution and Section 20B of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, to assist in conducting free and fair elections and overseeing the electoral process at the field level.

Bypolls to eight Assembly constituencies on April 9 and April 23; counting on May 4

CEC said bypolls to five seats in Goa, Karnataka, Nagaland and Tripura will be held on April 9, while voting in three constituencies in Gujarat and Maharashtra will take place on April 23.

Counting of votes for all eight constituencies will be conducted on May 4, the same day as the results of the Assembly elections in other states.

The bypolls were necessitated following the death of sitting MLAs in these constituencies.

The Assembly segments going to polls are Ponda in Goa; Bagalkot and Davangere South in Karnataka; Koridang in Nagaland; Dharmanagar in Tripura; Umreth in Gujarat; and Rahuri and Baramati in Maharashtra.

(With Agency inputs)