Vote counting LIVE: Vijay shocks Dravidian giants; BJP crosses 200 in Bengal; UDF wave in Kerala
The 2026 election story: The fall of bastions, the rise of a superstar, and a saffron breakthrough in the East.
Extending its saffron spread in eastern India, the BJP is set for a decisive win over the TMC in long elusive West Bengal and headed for another term in Assam while actor-politician Vijay’s TVK made a stunning debut in Tamil Nadu as the largest single party in terms of seats won or led. As votes were counted for Assembly elections in West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry, Election Commission trends showed a wipeout of the Left and a solitary win for the Congress that has been battling diminishing electoral returns.
Also Read: Understanding the Vijay phenomenon in Tamil Nadu politics
Also Read: What explains Bengal’s saffron shift? 6 reasons why Mamata was decimated
Also Read: UDF landslide in Kerala: The multiple factors that toppled Left
That silver lining for the opposition party came from Kerala where the Congress-led UDF won or was leading in 101 of the 140 Assembly seats while the CPM-led ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) was ahead in just under 40 constituencies.
The cynosure of Election 2026, however, was West Bengal, the eastern state where the Trinamool Congress was eyeing a fourth straight term in its only bastion. As counting progressed, power for the TMC seemed to be pulling away, further and further. The state’s political landscape was changing with the BJP, its campaign spearheaded by Amit Shah with Modi as its lodestar, pushing ahead in border, tribal and industrial regions, while the TMC held ground in parts of Kolkata and select rural strongholds.
According to the Election Commission, the BJP won or was ahead in 195 of the 294 seats, well ahead of the magic number of 147, power in the state finally within its grasp. The Trinamool Congress tally was 90.
In Assam, where the election was a hot-headed affair too, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma led the BJP to another straight victory with leads in 81 of the 126 seats, leaving the Congress far behind at 19. Congress state unit president Gaurav Gogoi faced his first electoral defeat in Jorhat.
West Bengal was one headline of Election 2026, the other was superstar Vijay, who defied the odds and the taint of a stampede during his rally in September 2025 in which 41 people were killed. That was clearly in the past as his party broke bipolar Dravidian politics and was poised to become the largest single party in Tamil Nadu with wins and leads in 109 of the state’s 234 seats. The ruling DMK that had started the morning at number three position was at 61 and the AIADMK at 44.
Chief Minister M K Stalin lost in Kolathur. According to Election Commission data, 15 other ministers were also lagging behind.
The choice, it appeared, was clear. Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar could well join the pantheon of MGR and Jayalalithaa as the stars who made it big in the political firmament.
In Kerala, Congress broke Left's grip, winning over 100 seats. In Puducherry, the All India NR Congress had won or was ahead in 11 of the 30 seats. The DMK stood at five and the BJP at four. The TVK made its presence felt with three.
In Assam, the BJP-led NDA is set to create history surging towards a landslide victory. Under the leadership of Himanta Biswa Sarma, the party is on track to secure a record third consecutive term, with leads comfortably crossing the majority mark.
As the counting is underway, follow our live updates below:
Live Updates
- 4 May 2026 3:41 PM IST
Mamata’s lead drops to 7,184 votes in Bhabanipur
The battle for the high-profile Bhabanipur Assembly seat in West Bengal tightened further on Monday as Mamata Banerjee saw her lead over BJP challenger Suvendu Adhikari narrow once again after 12 rounds of counting.
Election Commission figures showed Banerjee polling 44,729 votes, while Adhikari had secured 37,545 votes, reducing her lead to 7,184 votes with eight of the total 20 rounds still to be completed.
The contest has seen dramatic swings from the opening rounds. Banerjee started with a lead of 1,996 votes in the first round, polling 3,666 votes against Adhikari’s 1,670. However, Adhikari overturned the early deficit in the second round and moved ahead by 1,558 votes.
Banerjee regained control in the third round, opening a lead of 898 votes, before widening it sharply to 8,482 votes by the fourth round.
By the seventh round, the All India Trinamool Congress chief had built a commanding lead of 17,371 votes. That margin later narrowed to 15,494 in the eighth round, then to 12,131 by the 10th, before shrinking further in the latest count.
The Bhabanipur contest remains one of the most closely watched battles in the state as counting continues across 293 Assembly constituencies under tight security.
- 4 May 2026 3:38 PM IST
Anti-incumbency helped UDF, says KC Venugopal
Reacting to the Congress-led UDF’s strong showing in the Kerala Assembly elections, Congress MP K. C. Venugopal on Monday said public dissatisfaction with the ruling government played a key role in shaping the electoral outcome.
Venugopal said the Congress and its allies were able to effectively tap into the anti-incumbency mood among voters across Kerala.
“There was anti-incumbency against the government in the public mood...We capitalised on the anti-incumbency sentiment...” he said.
He also credited the popularity of senior Congress leaders among voters, saying, “The people of the state like Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra a lot...”
Targeting the ruling front, Venugopal further alleged that the LDF government had been mired in corruption. “The LDF government was very corrupt...” he added.
His remarks came as counting trends continued to place the UDF in a commanding position in the state.
- 4 May 2026 3:28 PM IST
‘Proud Father’: SA Chandrasekhar on Vijay’s poll surge
As early election trends pointed to a strong performance by Vijay and his party in Tamil Nadu, his father, filmmaker S. A. Chandrasekhar, expressed pride and confidence in his son’s political journey.
Reacting to the developments, Chandrasekhar said he was both emotional and proud as a father watching Vijay’s rise in public life.
“As a father, I am very happy, and I feel very proud of my son. The people of the state are expecting big things from my son. He will definitely fulfil their expectations,” he said.
His remarks came as Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam continued to post strong leads in early counting trends, emerging as one of the biggest talking points of the Tamil Nadu election.
- 4 May 2026 3:26 PM IST
‘Unexpected’: K Sudhakaran on UDF’s Kerala surge
Reacting to the Congress-led UDF’s strong performance in the Kerala Assembly elections, senior Congress leader K. Sudhakaran on Monday said even party leaders had not anticipated such a decisive trend in their favour.
As counting continued across Kerala, with the UDF maintaining a commanding lead, Sudhakaran described the scale of the alliance’s performance as beyond expectations.
“Unexpected! We had discussed among ourselves that we would see change, but we had not thought it would be like this,” he said.
His remarks came as early trends pointed to a strong resurgence for the Congress-led alliance, placing it in a dominant position against the ruling LDF in one of the most closely watched electoral contests in the state.
- 4 May 2026 3:22 PM IST
Watch | Who could be the next CM in Kerala? Here are the top names
UDF’s clear victory in Kerala, crossing the majority mark, has set the stage for its next big political question — who will become the Chief Minister? Three names are now at the centre of the discussion. - 4 May 2026 3:08 PM IST
Kerala Minister Ganesh Kumar trails in Pathanapuram after 25 years
Transport Minister and actor K B Ganesh Kumar, who has remained unbeaten in electoral politics for more than 25 years, appears headed for a major setback in Pathanapuram as counting in the Kerala Assembly elections entered its final rounds.
According to Election Commission figures, the Kerala Congress (B) leader was trailing Congress candidate Jyothikumar Chamakkala by over 5,000 votes. In the 2021 Assembly election, Ganesh Kumar had defeated Chamakkala by nearly 15,000 votes.
Chamakkala, however, continued his political and constituency outreach in Pathanapuram over the last five years, which appears to have translated into strong gains this time.
Kerala Congress (B), traditionally aligned with the UDF, joined the LDF before the 2021 elections following the death of party founder R. Balakrishna Pillai. The shift was led by Ganesh Kumar.
The contest drew attention during campaigning after Congress leaders raised allegations related to the defamation case involving former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy. Ganesh Kumar had entered the campaign expressing confidence of retaining the seat with a record margin.
- 4 May 2026 3:00 PM IST
Watch: BJP workers celebrate as early trends show party surging ahead in Bengal
Celebrations continued outside the Bhabanipur counting centre on Monday as BJP workers and supporters gathered in large numbers, waving party flags, raising slogans and distributing sweets as early trends in the West Bengal Assembly elections pointed to a massive surge for the party.
With the BJP leading in 193 seats, well above the majority mark, the mood among supporters remained jubilant, with chants, drumbeats and bursts of colour adding to the charged atmosphere at one of the state’s most closely watched constituencies.
- 4 May 2026 2:51 PM IST
UDF crosses 100-seat mark, LDF faces major Kerala setback
The Congress-led UDF tightened its grip on the Kerala Assembly elections on Monday, holding a commanding advantage as counting moved into the final stages in several constituencies. Trends showed the opposition alliance crossing its ambitious 100-seat target in the 140-member House.
After nearly six hours of counting that began at 8 am, the UDF was leading in 101 seats, while the ruling CPI(M)-led LDF was ahead in just under 40 constituencies. The BJP-led NDA was leading in only two seats.
The trends pointed to a difficult day for the ruling front, with more than a dozen ministers facing early setbacks. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, initially trailing in Dharmadam, later recovered and built a lead of over 8,000 votes.
Celebrations erupted at the Congress headquarters as workers gathered in large numbers, beating drums, raising slogans and distributing sweets while giant screens displayed the alliance’s steady rise.
KPCC chief Sunny Joseph described the trends as a rejection of the LDF government’s “anti-people policies” and expressed confidence that the UDF was heading for a decisive return to power after nearly a decade.
- 4 May 2026 2:49 PM IST
BJP workers celebrate as Assam, Bengal trends favour NDA
Celebrations broke out at BJP offices in Assam and West Bengal on Monday as early Election Commission trends placed the Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies in commanding positions.
At Vajpayee Bhawan in Basistha, Assam BJP workers waved saffron flags, beat drums, danced and exchanged sweets as the ruling NDA surged ahead in 98 of the state’s 126 Assembly seats, comfortably above the majority mark of 64. State BJP president Dilip Saikia offered prayers at the party office as trends came in.
“This is a win for our pro-people work done by PM Narendra Modi and CM Himanta Biswa Sarma. It's a victory of people... Today, I am crying, but these are tears of happiness,” BJP spokesperson Mita Nath Bora said.
Meanwhile in Kolkata, BJP workers carrying photographs of Narendra Modi celebrated outside the party headquarters, raising slogans and distributing sweets. Similar scenes were reported from Kakdwip and Bongaon as supporters danced and applied gulaal, with EC trends showing the BJP leading in 193 seats.
- 4 May 2026 2:37 PM IST
Chandy Oommen retains Puthuppally by over 52,000 votes
Chandy Oommen on Monday registered a resounding victory in Puthuppally, retaining his family stronghold by a margin of 52,907 votes in the Kerala Assembly elections held on April 9.
The Congress legislator, son of former Oommen Chandy, secured 84,031 votes, according to Election Commission data.
His nearest rival, CPI(M) candidate K. M. Radhakrishnan, polled 31,124 votes.
Chandy’s campaign had drawn considerable public attention during the election period for its eco-conscious approach. He chose to follow a green campaign model, steering clear of flex boards and plastic banners, and instead connected with voters through a bicycle-based door-to-door outreach across the constituency.
