Live! Congress hints at supporting Vijay’s TVK
TVK founder Vijay on Tuesday thanked the people of Tamil Nadu for the "historic and transformative mandate" they gave to him in the April 23 Assembly elections
The BJP is set to form its first government in West Bengal after a landslide victory, winning 206 of 294 seats. It is also poised to retain Assam for a third straight term, securing 102 of the 126 seats.
The electoral cycle also saw a dramatic debut in Tamil Nadu, where actor-politician Vijay’s TVK won 108 of 234 seats to emerge as the single-largest party. In Kerala, the Left was wiped out in its last bastion as the Congress-led UDF registered a thumping win.
Also read | Opposition deficit, rather than BJP triumph, is the message
Three incumbent chief ministers – Mamata Banerjee (West Bengal), MK Stalin (Tamil Nadu) and Pinarayi Vijayan (Kerala) – are on their way out, with Banerjee also losing the poll battle against BJP's Suvendu Adhikari in the Bhabanipur Assembly seat in Kolkata. Stalin also suffered defeat at the hands of his former protege, TVK’s VS Babu, in the Kolathur Assembly constituency.
Modi hails mandate, slams rivals
While Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) stellar showing in the West Bengal polls during a grand victory celebration at the party headquarters in New Delhi, both Banerjee and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that the mandate was stolen.
Modi hailed the verdict as a mandate for the politics of performance. "Our mantra is nagarik devo bhava (citizens are god). We are dedicated to serving the people. That is why the people have shown their faith in the BJP. They know the BJP is synonymous with good governance, whether it is state government or civic elections as you saw the party winning its highest ever vote share in the recent Gujarat local body polls," he said.
Mamata cries foul over ‘stolen mandate’
Meanwhile, outgoing West Bengal Chief Minister Banerjee alleged that the mandate in more than 100 seats was "looted". "We will bounce back," the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo said while walking out of the counting centre at the Bhabanipur constituency.
Also read | Bengal's Didi shield cracks: How Mamata Banerjee lost the state she dominated
A visibly-distraught Banerjee told reporters that the BJP's victory was "immoral". "They have looted more than 100 seats," she alleged.
Banerjee found an ally in Rahul Gandhi, who too alleged that the mandate in Assam and West Bengal was "stolen".
In Assam, where the election was a hot-headed affair too, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma led the BJP to another straight victory, bagging 102 of the 126 seats, leaving the Congress far behind at 19. State Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi faced his first electoral defeat in Jorhat.
Vijay shatters Dravidian duopoly
If West Bengal was one headline of Elections 2026, the other was superstar Vijay, who defied the odds and the taint of a stampede at his rally in Karur in September 2025, in which 41 people were killed. That episode appeared to be in the past as his party broke the bipolar cycle of Dravidian politics in Tamil Nadu.
Also read | Understanding the Vijay phenomenon in Tamil Nadu politics
Vijay’s TVK secured 108 seats in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, followed by the DMK-led alliance with 73 and the AIADMK-led alliance with 52. He now appears set to join the pantheon of MGR and Jayalalithaa as celluloid stars who made it big in the political firmament. The star of hit films such as Mersal and Leo entered the campaign with a list of lofty promises, including 8 grams of gold, worth about Rs 1.12 lakh, for marriage. Vijay’s manifesto also promised a monthly assistance of Rs 2,500 for women below 60 years of age and six free cooking gas cylinders per family annually.
Priyanka thanks Kerala’s voters
With the Kerala win in her party's pocket, Congress general secretary and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra thanked the people of the southern state for their overwhelming support.
Also read | How UDF won Kerala after a decade: From 'total disarray' to total dominance
"To all my brothers and sisters in Keralam, thank you for your faith and for your overwhelming support. The trust you have placed in us will be the UDF's guiding force as we work hard towards building a better future for each one of you," she said.
In Puducherry, the NDA retained control, with the All India NR Congress leading the alliance’s tally. The Congress and its allies bagged 6 seats. The TVK made its presence felt with three seats.
Scroll below for Live updates.
Live Updates
- 5 May 2026 10:01 PM IST
Vijay thanks TN people for historic, transformative mandate
TVK founder Vijay on Tuesday thanked the people of Tamil Nadu for the "historic and transformative mandate" they gave to him in the April 23 Assembly elections.
The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam launched in 2024, performed impressively securing 108 seats out of 234 Assembly constituencies in the state, in its maiden electoral debut. Its founder Vijay won from both the Perambur and Tiruchirappalli East seats.
Describing the April 23 election as a "miracle" that has shaken Indian politics, the TVK chief said in a statement that young voters and particularly the youngsters played a significant role in shaping the poll outcome.
"Despite facing ridicule and criticism since its inception, the TVK had remained steadfast depending only on the people... inspite of disguised insults and slander under the guise of neutrality and criticism, the people of Tamil Nadu stood by the party with unwavering affection," Vijay said in a statement posted on 'X.' The mandate, he said, showed a deep emotional investment by voters. This mandate indicated the "rejection of money power in politics that has for long influenced the state political culture," Vijay said.
The TVK founder expressed his gratitude to the people who made the impossible a reality, and also the party's virtual warriors, and TVK members for their contribution.
Vijay said he respected those who did not vote for TVK and exuded the hope that they would support the party in future.
- 5 May 2026 9:58 PM IST
TVK requests Congress to support govt formation
"The Congress leadership has directed the TNCC to take a final decision on Thiru Vijay's request, keeping in view the sentiments of the state reflected in the electoral verdict," said party leader KC Venugopal.
- 5 May 2026 9:18 PM IST
TVK to move MLAs to resort in Mamallapuram
The TVK has made arrangements for its legislators from the districts to stay in a resort in Mamallapuram to participate in the swearing-in ceremony of Vijay planned on May 7, reports said.
- 5 May 2026 4:54 PM IST
Mamata: My car was stopped; I was assaulted, CCTV was switched off
"After first round of counting, they started saying that BJP is getting 195-200. You didn't wait for the final result. You didn't even wait for 5-6 rounds. After that campaign with the press... BJP went inside the polling station and they started beating the people, counting agents. When I came to know that all counting agents are withdrawn, I was leading by about 30,000 and about 5 rounds were left. We should have got more than 32,000.
"Then the BJP candidate went inside along with 200 CRPF personnel and 200 outside goons, and then they beat up our people. Even women were not spared and they snatched away all forms. When I came to know, I went there. They stopped my car, but I took another route. When I entered, CRPF told me that I was not allowed to go. I said that I am a candidate...Then I complained to the RO that counting should be stopped immediately until normalcy is restored. I saw the DEO. I know that he gave a message to someone 15 days ago that 'counting mein khel hoga'...I went inside for a few minutes. They kicked me in my belly, backside and manhandled and assaulted me. That time CCTV was off..." Mamata said.
- 5 May 2026 4:48 PM IST
Mamata thanks INDIA leaders, says will strengthen alliance
"Sonia ji, Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal, Uddhav Thackeray, Akhilesh Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav, Hemant Soren rang me up. All the allies of INDIA Alliance told me that they are totally and absolutely with me. I think our solidarity will be united and strong for the next coming days. Akhilesh requested me if he can come today itself but I told him to come tomorrow. So, he will come tomorrow," Mamata said.
"One by one, everyone will come. My target is very clear. I will strengthen the INDIA team, just like a small person. I don't have any chair now, so I am a commoner. So, you cannot tell me that I am using your chair. I am now a free bird. I gave my entire life in service to the people, even in these 15 years I have not withdrawn one paisa of pension. I am not taking one paisa of salary also. But now, I am a free bird. So, I have to do some work, that I will manage to do," she added.
- 5 May 2026 4:45 PM IST
Trinamool did not lose; I won't resign, says Mamata
After her party's poll rout, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee refused to resign on Tuesday, claiming she has not lost and declaring the BJP's mandate "looted."
- 5 May 2026 4:44 PM IST
Mamata: I will not resign
"I have not lost, so I will not go to Raj Bhavan. I will not tender resignation," says Mamata.
- 5 May 2026 4:35 PM IST
I got kicked at polling booth, says Mamata
From Mamata Banerjee's press conference in Kolkata after TMC's rout:
Accusing the Centre of "direct interference," Mamata said, "This is how they stole elections from Maharashtra, Haryana, Bihar, and now Bengal."
The 71-year-old also alleged that she was physically assaulted at a polling station, recounting, "I was kicked in the belly and back. The CCTV was off. I was pushed out of the counting station. As a woman, I was misbehaved with.''
- 5 May 2026 4:31 PM IST
Angry Mamata slams Centre after election loss
Following the BJP's landslide victory in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, caretaker Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee addressed a press conference, slamming the saffron party-led Central government and security forces.
She accused them of committing "atrocities" under the pretext of maintaining election security, stating, "I haven't seen these types of atrocities since 2004. It is terrible."
- 5 May 2026 2:39 PM IST
Watch: Debut tsunami as TVK leaves DMK reeling | Talking Sense With Srini
In this edition of Talking Sense With Srini, The Federal's Editor-in-Chief S Srinivasan breaks down a dramatic results day across five states, spotlighting the meteoric rise of Vijay’s TVK in Tamil Nadu as it disrupts the long-standing dominance of DMK and AIADMK, alongside the BJP’s sweeping breakthrough in West Bengal against Mamata Banerjee, the Congress-led UDF’s comeback in Kerala, and Himanta Biswa Sarma’s firm hold in Assam, to ask a larger question: are Indian voters decisively reshaping political power by rejecting old strongholds, or are these results a more complex mix of disruption and continuity that will redefine national opposition politics?
