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Assembly Elections 2026: The Election Commission (EC) is fully prepared to conduct polling for the assembly elections in Assam, Kerala and Puducherry in a free, fair, and peaceful manner. The election in Kerala is a do-or-die for the CPI(M) as it is the only state where the Left is in power, while in Assam, the Bharatiya Janata Party is seeking a third term, riding on the popularity of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is hoping to retain one of the small states, Puducherry. Voting will be conducted in a single phase across all three regions, covering 126 seats in Assam, 140 seats in Kerala, and 30 seats in Puducherry.

BJP Aims Hat-Trick, Congress Eyes Ending Drought

The high-stakes elections to the 126-member Assam assembly will be held on Thursday, with most seats slated to witness a direct contest between the BJP-led NDA and the opposition coalition helmed by the Congress. The BJP is eyeing a third straight term in power in these elections, while the Congress is looking to wrest the state, from where it was ousted in 2016.

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A total of 722 candidates, including Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, state Congress president Gaurav Gogoi, Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia, AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal, Raijor Dal leader Akhil Gogoi, and AJP president Lurinjyoti Gogoi, are in the fray. Polling will be held from 7 am to 5 pm across 31,490 polling stations in 35 districts. A total of 2.50 crore people, including 1.25 crore women and 318 from the third gender, are eligible to vote.

Key Contests In Assam

Key contests include Jalukbari, where Sarma is seeking a sixth consecutive term against Congress's Bidisha Neog, and Jorhat, where Gaurav Gogoi is seeking to make his assembly debut against BJP's Hitendranath Goswami. In Nazira, Debabrata Saikia is attempting to retain his family stronghold against BJP's Mayur Borgohain.

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The Tamulpur seat in the Bodoland Territorial Region will witness a direct fight between Daimary and UPPL chief Pramod Boro. AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal is contesting from Binnakandi in a triangular contest against AGP's Shahabuddin Mazumdar and AJP's Rejaul Karim Chowdhury. In Sibsagar, Akhil Gogoi faces a three-cornered contest against BJP's Jayanta Hazarika and AGP's Pradip Hazarika. AJP's Lurinjyoti Gogoi is in a direct fight with BJP's Chakradhar Gogoi in Khowang, while AGP president and minister Atul Bora faces a triangular contest against Raijor Dal's Hari Prasad Saikia and former Independent MLA Jiten Gogoi in the Bokakhat constituency. Minister Keshav Mahanta is locked in a direct contest in Kaliabor against Raijor Dal candidate Pradip Kumar Baruah.

Kerala Assembly Polls

With the highly anticipated Assembly elections in Kerala just a few hours away, polling officials and security personnel intensified efforts to ensure free and fair voting. Authorities across both states have completed most of the logistical and administrative arrangements, with large-scale deployment of staff and security forces. In Thiruvananthapuram, election materials were distributed at Karthika Thirunal Government School ahead of polling.Similarly, in Kannur, voting materials, including EVMs, were distributed at Thondiyil St. Joseph School for the Pervoor constituency.

LDF Vs UDF

The incumbent Left Democratic Front (LDF), led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, is seeking a third consecutive term in office -- an unprecedented feat in the state's political history. The LDF has campaigned on the plank that there is "no alternative" to its governance. The emergence of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as a notable force, following its first Lok Sabha seat win in the state in 2024, has added a new dimension to the electoral contest.

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Meanwhile, the United Democratic Front (UDF) is aiming to capitalise on its recent gains in parliamentary and local body elections to secure an Assembly victory. In Assam, the election campaign has been dominated by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is seeking a second term in office and a third consecutive term for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). His campaign has focused on a mix of welfare initiatives and identity-driven politics, including the Orunodoi direct benefit transfer scheme that benefits around 40 lakh women.

NDA Hopes To Retain Puducherry

In Puducherry, the NDA government led by All India N.R. Congress (AINRC) chief N.\ Rangasamy has been in power since 2021. Given the Union Territory's small size and 30-seat Assembly, analysts believe that the personal appeal of candidates may play a more decisive role than broader political narratives.

In the ruling NDA, the AINRC is in the race in 16 constituencies, and its ally BJP in 10, and AIADMK and LJK are in the fray for two constituencies each. The opposition, the INDIA bloc, after a protracted seat-sharing negotiation, reached a settlement to allocate Congress 16 constituencies, and to field DMK in 13 and VCK in one (Uzhavarkarai).

(With Agencies Inputs)


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