India’s Election Commission has declared the 2026 assembly (state) elections in India for 4 states and 1 Union Territory. The 4 states are Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, and Assam, and the Union Territory is Puducherry, with elections scheduled for those locations by May 4, 2026.
These elections will be politically important as numerous significant parties begin to plan campaigns in order to secure control of each state government. According to the Election Commission, the entire election process (notification, counting) will have occurred on or before May 6, 2026.
Voting will occur in several phases within each state, with some regions voting on the same day and some at different times based upon the administrative and logistical needs of each area.
Assam Assembly Election 2026
Voting for the 126 Assembly seats in the northeastern Indian state of Assam will be held in one phase on 9th April 2026. The formal election process is expected to start after the gazette notification is issued on 16th March 2026; candidates will have until 23rd March 2026 to file their nominations, and scrutiny of the nomination papers will occur on 24th March 2026, with the last date to withdraw from the election being 26th March 2026.
All voters throughout Assam are expected to go to their respective polling locations on 9th April 2026, with counting of the votes expected to occur on 4th May 2026.
Kerala Assembly Election 2026
On April 9, 2026, residents of Kerala – with its 140 legislative assembly seats – will have the opportunity to vote in their state’s elections. The elections will happen concurrently with Assam’s elections. The election notice will go public on March 16, and candidates will be able to submit their nomination papers until the 23rd of March.
After all the nominations have been reviewed and validated on the 24th of March, candidates will have the ability to withdraw their nomination papers until the 26th of March. The entire state will have the ability to vote on April 9, and then vote counting will occur on May 4.
Typically, there will be a lot of participation in voting in the elections in Kerala, and a significant number of people will be competing against each other from within the major political alliances.
Tamil Nadu Assembly Election 2026
On April 23, 2026, Tamil Nadu will hold an election for all of the 234 Assembly Constituencies in the state, which are the Assembly Preparing Section, as a single phase. Election Notice is expected to be issued in the Southern State on the 30th of March, because the deadline to submit an office application is the 6th of April. Applications will be accepted and reviewed on 7 April; candidates can withdraw their candidacy up until 9 April.
On the date of the election (23 April), ballots will be counted on 4 May. The election will generate considerable national interest due to the political strength of the main regional political parties in the region.
Puducherry Assembly Election 2026
Elections in the Union Territory of Puducherry will coincide with Kerala and Assam on April 9, 2026.
The Puducherry Legislative Assembly has a total of 30 members. The election process for Puducherry will have the identical schedule as the two states having elections on April 9, 2026.
The gazette notification for the elections in Puducherry will be published on March 16, the nomination process will end on March 23, and the scrutiny of the nominations will happen on March 24. A candidate may revoke his/her nomination until March 26.
The elections in Puducherry will be held on April 9, and the vote counting will occur on May 4.
West Bengal Assembly Election 2026
The eastern state of West Bengal will hold its election in two phases for its 294-member legislative assembly.
In Phase 1, voting will take place in 152 constituencies on April 23, 2026. The notification for this phase will be issued on March 30, nominations will close on April 6, scrutiny will occur on April 7, and the final withdrawal date will be April 9.
In Phase 2, elections for the remaining 142 constituencies will be conducted on April 29, 2026. The notification for this phase will be issued on April 2, with nominations closing on April 9, scrutiny on April 10, and withdrawals allowed until April 13.
Votes for both phases will be counted together on May 4, 2026.
Counting Day and Election Completion
Vote counting for the four states and the union territory will take place on 4 May 2026, according to the Election Commission of India.
In an effort to meet this goal, the commission has designed the dates accordingly such that all phases of the electoral process are finished before 6 May 2026; this provides enough time for administrative actions and for the governing authority to be established in those states.
As campaigns continue, expect a ton of political activity to happen over the next few weeks as parties try to get voters behind them before election day.
