Assembly elections 2026: Tamil Nadu to vote across all seats, Bengal in phase 1; can Stalin, Mamata hold their bastions? | India News
NEW DELHI: The stage is set for high-electoral battles as West Bengal and Tamil Nadu head towards Assembly elections on Thursday (April 23).Tamil Nadu is voting in a single phase across 234 constituencies, while West Bengal will vote in 152 constituencies in this phase.The second phase of the West Bengal assembly contest will be held on April 29. Both poll-bound states, ruled by regional heavyweights, witnessed an intense, high-decibel campaign. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) brigade led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah has pushed hard to challenge. Mamata Banerjee And MK StalinWhile Rahul Gandhi and other leaders added to the campaign push.Amit Shah struck an aggressive note saying, “In Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, Congress will not even cross double digits.”Even as political rhetoric peaks, the Election Commission has stepped up its vigilance. Cash, liquor, drugs and other inducements worth over Rs 1,000 crore have been seized in both states, taking the total recovered since February 26 to Rs 1,072.13 crore.On the ground, Tamil Nadu saw large-scale movement of electronic voting machines and voting materials under heavy security cover. West Bengal, meanwhile, has witnessed significant deployment of central forces, a move questioned by Mamata Banerjee, who asked, “Are they trying to intimidate?”He also flagged the use of CRPF armored vehicles during polling, alleging that the BJP-led Center was deploying state machinery to influence election results, as voters prepared to cast their ballots in a hotly contested race.
West Bengal
Important constituencies in the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly battle include Subvendu Adhikari’s Nandigram, where he had earlier defeated incumbent Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.Mamata Banerjee has since moved to Bhavanipur, while Subhendu Adhikari continues to challenge her politically, as she has also filed nomination papers from Bhavanipur.
Other important constituencies in this phase include Darjeeling, Siliguri and Jalpaiguri. Promotion for the episode ends on April 21.
North Bengal is the key focus
North Bengal remains the central focus of Phase 1 with 54 assembly constituencies polling in this round.Shuvendu Adhikari is contesting in Nandigram Trinamool Congress Candidate Pavitra Kar, along with other contenders, made it one of the most closely watched contests.
Mamata wants to retain the throne of Kolkata
The battle for West Bengal remains intense as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tries to hold on to power and consolidate voter support, while the BJP looks to build on its strong surge in 2021.PM Modi and Amit Shah have pushed the “Golden Bengal” slogan targeting Mamata Banerjee’s “Bohiraghata” narrative. The BJP has also sharpened its attacks on issues like law and order and encroachment citing incidents like RG tax, Murshidabad and Sandeshkhali.
The opposition and the left struggle for relevance
The Congress factor, despite a long electoral decline, could still play a role in shaping the outcome in Kolkata and beyond. The once dominant Left Front, under Jyoti Bose, continues to struggle to regain relevance in the state.
Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress has also faced fire from its Bharat Bloc ally, the Congress and the Left, even as it tries to maintain its stronghold in the political terrain of West Bengal.
Tamil Nadu
More than 5.73 crore voters are set to decide the fate of 4,023 candidates in the Tamil Nadu assembly elections on April 23, amid tight security and a massive crackdown on instigators by the Election Commission of India.
DMK vs AIADMK : The main battle
The contest is mainly between the DMK-led alliance and the AIADMK-led Front, with Chief Minister MK Stalin seeking a second term, while Edappadi K Palaniswami is aiming to return to power after five years.Tamil Nadu’s political landscape has long been dominated by Dravidian parties and this election largely continues that bipolar trend. However, the DMK has become electorally stronger in recent years, while the AIADMK has struggled to regain its footing after the death of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa.The last assembly election that the AIADMK managed to win was in 2016, under Amma’s shadow, a few months before her death. The five-year chief ministerial term was then shared between Jayalalithaa, O Panneerselvam and later EPS, who now holds the party command.The national parties, the BJP and the Congress, are behind their Dravidian partners, with the BJP in an electoral alliance with its old and traditional ally the AIADMK, while the Congress is allied with the ruling DMK.
The victory factor added a new twist
This selection, however, comes with a new variable. Tamil superstar Vijay entered the political fray with his party, Tamilga Vetri Kazhagam, drawing huge crowds at rallies and roadshows.His popularity translated into strong on-ground mobilization, though one such rally in Karur sadly led to a stampede.
Can crowd support turn into votes?
Vijay’s entry added a new dimension to the contest, with his party DMK and AIADMK contesting independently outside the alliance. Unlike national parties like BJP and Congress, TV is not seen as an “outsider” in the political fabric of Tamil Nadu.But the key question remains whether this visible public support can translate into votes, a challenge that has historically tested celebrity-led political initiatives in the state.
