Assembly Elections 2026: Can BJP, LDF seal historic hattricks in Assam, Kerala? What happened in 2021?
Assembly Elections 2026: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is seeking a hattrick in Assam. So is the Left Democratic Front (LDF), seeking a third term in Kerala.
Assembly Elections 2026: Voting is underway for assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, and Puducherry today. The next phase of assembly polls in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal are scheduled for later this month.
The results for all assembly polls will be declared on 4 May.
Today's voting is being held at 31,486 polling stations across Assam, 30,471 polling stations in Kerala and 1,099 polling stations in Puducherry.
Assam has 2.5 crore voters. Kerala has 2.7 crore voters while Puducherry has 9.4 Lakh voters. In Assam, there are about 5.7 lakh first time voters. In Kerala it is 4.24 lakh and is Puducherry, 23,000 residents are eligible to vote for the first time today.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is seeking a hattrick in Assam. So is the Left Democratic Front (LDF), seeking a third term in Kerala.
Assam has 126 seats. The Assam elections will be keenly watched with sitting Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma hoping to return to power. The Opposition Congress is alleging instability under the present rule, and has batted for change as a key factor in their electoral campaign.
In 2021, the election saw the incumbent BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) retain power with 75 seats, marking the first time a non-Congress alliance won consecutive terms in the state. Himanta Biswa Sarma, a former Congress leader became the chief minister.
In 2016, assembly election in Assam resulted in change of power as Congress which had formed the government under Tarun Gogoi since 2001, lost its majority to the Bharatiya Janata Party led by Sarbananda Sonowal.
Sonowal became the first elected BJP chief minister in the Northeast, and his victory marked the start of other BJP victories in the Northeast, a region traditionally ruled by regional parties or the Congress.
What happened in Kerala in 2021?
Kerala has 140 seats. Here the electoral battle is between the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) for the Assembly elections. The CPI(M)-led LDF, led by CM Pinarayi Vijayan, is also seeking a third consecutive term.
In the 2021 elections, the LDF retained power with 99 seats, becoming the first incumbent government since 1977 to win consecutive terms.
The Union Territory of Puducherry, with 30 assembly seats, will see the ruling BJP-led NDA hoping to consolidate its hold on power.
In 2021, the National Democratic Alliance won a simple majority in the elections, and N Rangaswamy of the All India NR Congress was sworn in as the chief minister for the fourth time.
In the 2016 election, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance formed the government after winning 17 of the 30 seats, and V Narayanasamy sworn in as the chief minister.
About the Author
Gulam Jeelani is Political Desk Editor at LiveMint with over 16 years of experience covering national and international politics. Based in New Delhi, Jeelani delivers impactful political narratives through breaking stories, in-depth interviews, and analytical pieces at LiveMint since February 2024. The expertise in video production fuels his current responsibilities, which include curating content and conducting video interviews for an expanding digital audience.<br><br> Jeelani also travels during elections and key political events and has covered assembly elections in key states apart from national elections. He has previously worked with The Pioneer, Network18, India Today, News9Plus and Hindustan Times.<br><br> Jeelani’s tenure at LiveMint and previous experience at print and digital newsrooms have honed his skills in creating compelling text and video stories, explainers, and analysis that resonate with a diverse viewership.<br><br> Before moving to New Delhi in 2015, Jeelani was based in Uttar Pradesh, where he worked for five years as a reporter. In 2018, Jeelani was one of the two Indian journalists selected for the Alfred Friendly Fellowship in the US. There, he attended training workshops on reporting and data journalism, and he was attached to the Minneapolis Star Tribune in Minnesota, where he worked as a reporter.<br><br> Jeelani is a Bachelor's in Chemistry and holds a Masters Degree in journalism and mass communication from Aligarh Muslim University. Outside work, he enjoys poetry, cricket and movies.
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