Which State Has Election in 2026? Dates and Results of All 5 Assembly Polls — Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam, Puducherry — and the Elections Still Left This Year
Five states and union territories held assembly elections in 2026 — West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry — with polling on 9, 23 and 29 April and counting on 4 May. Here are the dates, results and new chief ministers, plus every other election in 2026, from civic polls to the UP MLC count, and what is still to come.
Quick answer: In 2026, assembly elections were held in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry. Assam, Kerala and Puducherry voted on 9 April, Tamil Nadu on 23 April, and West Bengal in two phases on 23 and 29 April. Votes were counted on 4 May 2026. No other state assembly votes in 2026; the next round is in 2027.
The Election Commission announced the 2026 assembly elections on 15 March 2026, and the Model Code of Conduct took effect the same day. About 17.4 crore voters in the five states and union territory were eligible to vote at more than 2.18 lakh polling stations, for 824 assembly seats. Here is the complete picture, followed by the other elections held or still due in 2026.
2026 assembly elections: dates and results
| State / UT | Seats | Polling date | Winner | Chief Minister |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Bengal | 294 | 23 & 29 April (2 phases) | BJP — 207 seats | Suvendu Adhikari |
| Tamil Nadu | 234 | 23 April | TVK — 108 seats, largest party | C. Joseph Vijay |
| Kerala | 140 | 9 April | Congress-led UDF — about 100 seats | V. D. Satheesan |
| Assam | 126 | 9 April | BJP — 82 seats (NDA with AGP and BPF) | Himanta Biswa Sarma |
| Puducherry | 30 | 9 April | AINRC-led NDA | N. Rangaswamy |
Counting for all five took place on 4 May 2026. Seat figures as reported on results day; some outlets gave slightly different totals for West Bengal and Kerala.
The headline results
- West Bengal: The BJP won power in the state for the first time, ending the Trinamool Congress's 15-year rule; the TMC fell to about 80 seats.
- Tamil Nadu: Actor Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) became the largest party in its first election, ahead of the DMK (59) and AIADMK (47), and Vijay became Chief Minister.
- Kerala: The Congress-led UDF returned to power, replacing the LDF government of Pinarayi Vijayan.
- Assam: The BJP retained power and Himanta Biswa Sarma began a second term.
- Puducherry: The AINRC-led alliance retained the union territory, with N. Rangaswamy returning as Chief Minister.
Other elections held in 2026
| Date | Election |
|---|---|
| 15 January | Maharashtra municipal corporation elections (results 16 January) |
| March – November | Rajya Sabha biennial elections — 74 seats |
| 9 April & 23 April | Assembly by-elections held with the main polls (including Baramati in Maharashtra and Umreth in Gujarat) |
| 26 May | Punjab urban local body elections — 8 municipal corporations and 102 councils |
| 30 July | Assembly by-elections, including Bankipur (Bihar) and Datia (Madhya Pradesh) |
| 6 October | By-elections, including the Nagaon Lok Sabha seat (Assam) and Nandigram (West Bengal) |
| 23 October | UP Legislative Council (MLC) elections — 11 graduates' and teachers' seats; counted 27–28 October. See the results |
| 28 October | Andhra Pradesh municipal elections (results 30 October) |
Elections still left in 2026
- Andhra Pradesh local bodies: MPTC and ZPTC polls on 3 November (results 5 November) and gram panchayat polls in three phases on 26 November, 29 November and 2 December.
- Pending by-elections: several assembly seats, including Giridih (Jharkhand), Khairatabad (Telangana) and Karur (Tamil Nadu), are awaiting dates.
- Voter list revision: not an election, but important — the yearly revision for 2027 runs from 2 November 2026 in 17 states and UTs, with the final roll on 4 January 2027.
What about the UP panchayat elections 2026?
Uttar Pradesh's gram panchayats completed their five-year term on 26 May 2026, but elections have not been held, mainly because the state is still working out OBC reservation through a Dedicated Backward Class Commission set up on 18 May 2026. Outgoing pradhans were made administrators for six months. On 14 October 2026, the Allahabad High Court ordered the government and the State Election Commission to complete the polls within three months — which points to January 2027 — under the existing reservation rules, including the 27% OBC quota. The state could still challenge the order, so watch for the State Election Commission's notification.
Why 2026 matters for 2027
The 2026 results reshaped national politics ahead of next year's polls in Uttar Pradesh and six other states: the BJP added West Bengal to its states, while the Congress-led front returned in Kerala and a new party took power in Tamil Nadu. Four of the five — West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry — had their voter lists rebuilt through the Special Intensive Revision before voting — here is what SIR is.
Frequently asked questions
West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry held assembly elections in April 2026.
9 April (Assam, Kerala, Puducherry), 23 April (Tamil Nadu and West Bengal phase 1) and 29 April (West Bengal phase 2). Counting was on 4 May 2026.
The BJP, which won about 207 of 294 seats. Suvendu Adhikari became Chief Minister.
C. Joseph Vijay of the TVK, which won 108 of 234 seats.
Yes — Andhra Pradesh's local body polls run until 2 December 2026, and some by-elections are pending. No state assembly election is due in the rest of 2026.
The dates have not been announced. The Allahabad High Court has ordered the polls to be completed within three months of 14 October 2026, that is, by about mid-January 2027.
Sources & official links
- The Quint — 2026 assembly election schedule announced
- News On AIR — Tamil Nadu on 23 April, West Bengal on 23 and 29 April
- India TV — party-wise seats in all five states
- Wikipedia — 2026 elections in India
- Al Jazeera — Vijay becomes Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
- ANI — Andhra Pradesh local body poll schedule
- AajTak — UP panchayat elections and the High Court's deadline