The Madras High Court on Friday (April 10, 2026) dismissed a civil revision petition filed by Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder S. Ramadoss against the refusal of a city civil court on March 26, 2026 to order freezing of the ‘mango’ symbol during the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly elections 2026.

ECI counsel Niranjan Rajagopal said ‘mango’ was once a reserved symbol of PMK but the party had lost the right to retain it as a reserved symbol because of poor performance in consecutive elections. Nevertheless, as a concession, the ECI had permitted the party to use the symbol during the 2026 elections.

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The Madras High Court, on Friday (April 10, 2026), ordered notices to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) on a public interest litigation petition accusing Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s secretary P. Umanath of having violated the model code of conduct by issuing administrative instructions to Collectors and police officers.

First Division Bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan also allowed an application by the petitioner, A. Mohandoss, to implead Mr. Umanath too as one of the respondents to the case. The judges directed the ECI’s standing counsel Niranjan Rajagopal to make his elaborate submissions, in response to the PIL petition, on April 17.

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On the directions of the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday (April 10, 2026), Abin Dinesh Modak has been named as the new Police Commissioner of Chennai. He will be replacing A. Arun.

S. Vijay Kumar

A search operation was reportedly conducted in the residence of Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) president and Assembly election candidate Lurinjyoti Gogoi on Friday in connection with an incident that had happened on polling day, a police officer said.

He said the search was carried out as per legal provisions.

Mr. Gogoi was the Opposition alliance’s candidate from Khowang constituency in Dibrugarh district, with polling held in a single phase across the State on Thursday.

“With regard to the incident that had happened in Khowang yesterday, after following technical input, the police team reached the particular location and followed the legal search procedure,” Dibrugarh Senior Superintendent of Police Gaurav Abhijit Dilip said. 

AJP leaders and members, present at the location, claimed that police “failed” to show any search warrant.

-PTI

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said fish production in West Bengal increased significantly during her tenure, as she sought to rebut Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s assertion that the State lagged in pisciculture.

Ms. Banerjee addressed an election rally in the North 24 Parganas district town in support of TMC candidates.

“Modi Babu said more fish is produced in Bihar than in Bengal and that these are sold to other States; it has to be so because the people in Bihar are not allowed to eat fish,” the TMC chief alleged.

-PTI

The high-security arrangements and surveillance measures initiated by the police ahead of the Assembly elections will be maintained for a few more weeks to pre-empt post-poll violence in Kozhikode district. Night patrol and flash inspections will continue in all the politically sensitive areas included in the vulnerability assessment map.

According to senior police officers, the newly created police sub-divisions will also function under the designated team of officers till the election results are declared. The squads will stay alert at the district and State-level borders and continue with the vehicle-checking in assigned areas.

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Thiruvananthapuram: Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal contended that despite an alleged “unholy political partnership” between the Left and the NDA, and the “widespread distribution of money” by the BJP, the UDF will win “comfortably.” The Kerala Assembly polls were held on Thursday (April 9, 2026), with results for all 140 constituencies to be declared on May 4.

Mr. Venugopal, who is also the MP from the Alappuzha Lok Sabha constituency, asserted that “clear instances of cash being offered for votes” and the distribution of kits by the BJP were seen in many parts of Kerala, including Palakkad and Thrissur.

He alleged that the BJP’s classification of certain constituencies as ‘A category’ meant they were seats earmarked for the distribution of money.

“The BJP spent huge amounts of money to get votes. On one side, there was the unholy political partnership between the Left and the NDA, and on the other, money. But the results will uphold the dignity of the voters in Kerala, who survived both,” he contended. The BJP has denied these allegations. - PTI

Christian minority representatives extend their support to the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and its alliance ahead of Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.

The Chairman of CSI Zion Church, Raja Freeman, expressed support for the DMK, saying the Christian and minority communities stand with the ruling party and expect its continued governance in Tamil Nadu.

Speaking to ANI, Mr. Freeman said, “Today we are gathered here to show our support to the DMK party... We are expecting the DMK government to re-establish our Chief Minister again to get his seat again for the seventh time... The Christian community and minority community will support the work of the DMK party.”

- ANI

Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) chief Humayun Kabir on Friday (April 10, 2026) alleged conspiracy after chaos erupted in the poll-bound West Bengal over a purported “sting video” posted by the Trinamool Congress (TMC).

Speaking to reporters in Islampur, he claimed that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee shares “good relations” with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) while alleging conspiracy behind making his December 19 video viral at a time when Assembly polls are near.

“A video from December 19 is being made viral on April 8. What was CM Mamata Banerjee doing all these days? This is a conspiracy. I will answer them in the High Court. Mamata Banerjee shares good relations with the BJP and the RSS. Together, they are doing this against me,” Mr. Kabir said.

- ANI

Chennai: DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin held a roadshow in Chennai’s Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni Assembly constituency from where he is seeking re-election for the second time.

Mr. Udhayanidhi, who has been campaigning throughout the State in support of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance candidates, had been saying that despite being a candidate himself, he has been garnering votes for the alliance throughout the State, aiming to ensure the formation of Dravidian model 2.0 regime.

“Do you know that I am also contesting this election. I have not visited my constituency for the poll campaign. Sending our candidates to the Assembly is like ensuring a victory for me,” the Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister has been saying during his tour of the State.

On Friday, he undertook a roadshow in Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni from where his grandfather and former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi had contested and won three consecutive terms in 1996, 2001, and 2006. - PTI

Kolkata: Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the Uniform Civil Code will be implemented in West Bengal within six months of the BJP coming to power in the State, and the BJP will make a “son of Bengal” the Chief Minister.

At a press conference after unveiling the BJP’s Assembly poll manifesto - ‘Sankalp Patra’ - he accused the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC of practising appeasement politics, and sought to counter Trinamool Congress’ allegation that the BJP would interfere with the food habits of Bengalis.

“The recommendation for the Uniform Civil Code is not of the BJP. It is of the Constituent Assembly,” Mr. Shah said, defending the push for the uniform civil law and claimed that it remained unimplemented for decades because of “appeasement politics”. - PTI

Alappuzha: Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said the UDF fought the Assembly elections in a united and positive manner and exuded confidence that it would secure a decisive victory when the results are announced on May 4.

Mr. Chennithala thanked the UDF leadership, including Congress national leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, for campaigning for the front in Kerala.

He said that despite elections in other States, the national leaders spent considerable time campaigning in Kerala. According to him, the campaign was carried out in a systematic manner.

“We adopted a positive campaign without targeting anyone personally. It was well accepted by the people of Kerala,” he said. He said the UDF allies worked in unison, which helped the front in the polls.

“The speciality of this election is that there were no differences within the UDF. There were also no major differences within the Congress. Everyone understood the sentiments of the people and worked unitedly,” he said. He added that the people had responded positively to the UDF’s campaign. - PTI

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday (April 10, 2026) claimed that the BJP brought people from outside for the Assam elections as it was not confident of victory with the votes of the northeastern State’s residents.

Addressing an election rally at Tentulia in North 24 Parganas district, she alleged that no agency in the country was neutral under the BJP government at the Centre as “the saffron party has bought them all”.

“A trainload of 50,000 people was brought to Assam from Uttar Pradesh,” she claimed.

“Even a snake can be trusted, but not the BJP,” she added, as acrimony between the TMC and the BJP gained temperature ahead of the two-phase assembly polls in West Bengal.

- PTI

An election flying squad on Friday (April 10, 2026) intercepted and inspected the vehicle of TVK chief Vijay near the Madurai-Sivaganga border.

The check occurred while the political leader was travelling from Madurai to Sivaganga by road for his scheduled election campaign ahead of the April 23 Assembly polls.

According to official sources, the flying squad personnel signalled the convoy to stop at a designated checkpoint as part of the heightened surveillance under the Model Code of Conduct.

- PTI

Among the 15 major promises made by the BJP in its election manifesto for West Bengal, the party has also promised ₹3000 per month for unemployed youth of State. 

Just before the election, the Trinamool Congress government has rolled out Banglar Yuva Sathi scheme providing ₹1500 per month for unemployed youth of the State.

- Shiv Sahay Singh

BJP promises ₹3000 per month for women in West Bengal in the party manifesto for 2026 Assembly polls, released by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday (April 10, 2026). 

The announcement is to counter Trinamool Congress’s Lakshmir Bhandar scheme, which provides ₹1500 per month to about 2.42 crore women in the State.

- Shiv Sahay Singh

Kozhikode: LDF convener T.P. Ramakrishnan alleged that the Congress-led UDF carried out a “campaign of lies” and personal attacks against rivals in the Kerala Assembly polls, which concluded a day ago.

Mr. Ramakrishnan claimed that the lies spread by the UDF were actively taken up by the news media, which also tried to justify the same.

He also claimed that personal attacks and character assassinations were carried out against rivals, including himself, on social media by the Opposition.

The LDF convener, who contested from the Perambra Assembly constituency, said that he only spoke about the development carried out by the Left during its 10-year rule and the same was clearly visible.

“The development work worth around ₹1,950 crore carried out in Perambra was there for everyone to see,” he said. - PTI

Thiruvananthapuram: BJP State president Rajeev Chandrasekhar said the 2026 Assembly election would be the last contest between three political fronts in Kerala.

Mr. Chandrasekhar, who is contesting from the Nemom constituency, said that after the Assembly polls there would be only two political fronts in the State.

“On one side, it will be the NDA and on the other a Congress-CPI(M) alliance, which they have in 27 States and eight Union Territories. It will come here as well,” he said. Mr. Chandrasekhar alleged that there is no difference between the Congress and the CPI(M).

“Their politics, ideology and track record are the same. I see a big change coming, with Kerala moving towards bipolar politics. One pole will be the BJP-led NDA,” he said.

He said the BJP is not an arrogant party and that the acceptability it has received from voters would be evident on the result day (May 4). - PTI

Kochi: Senior Congress leader V.D. Satheesan expressed confidence in a huge win by the UDF, claiming it will make a clean sweep in five districts, and brushed aside speculations that the NDA will open its account in Kerala.

Mr. Satheesan praised the performance of the UDF leaders and workers during the election, saying it was the best ever he has seen in the last 30 years.

He said that his claims of the UDF getting more than 100 seats is not a mere statement, but based on the work the front has done during the last five years to bring back all those who had left it in 2005 and as a result, there was a huge wave in its favour in the State. - PTI

As attention shifts from other elections held on Thursday, West Bengal presents a dispiriting picture. An election that should be about governance and livelihoods is instead being fought over identity and the composition of the electoral roll itself.

Read the full editorial here.

The Congress constituency committee office at Mayyil in Kannur, Kerala, was allegedly vandalised in the early hours of Friday, with the party alleging involvement of CPI(M) workers amid heightened political tensions following a poll-day stabbing incident.

BJP State president Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Friday (April 10, 2026) said the 2026 Assembly election would be the last contest between three political fronts in Kerala.

Speaking to reporters in Thiruvananthapuram, Mr. Chandrasekhar, who is contesting from the Nemom constituency, said that after the Assembly polls there would be only two political fronts in the State.

“On one side, it will be the NDA and on the other a Congress-CPI(M) alliance, which they have in 27 States and eight Union Territories. It will come here as well,” he said.

Chandrasekhar alleged that there is no difference between the Congress and the CPI(M).

“Their politics, ideology and track record are the same. I see a big change coming, with Kerala moving towards bipolar politics. One pole will be the BJP-led NDA,” he said.

He said the BJP is not an arrogant party and that the acceptability it has received from voters would be evident on the May 4 result day.

On his prospects in Nemom, Mr. Chandrasekhar said hard work had been put in across the constituency.

“We went before the voters and told them what we will do if we get their support. It is for the voters to decide, which we will see on May 4,” he said. -- PTI

DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Friday (April 10, 2026) morning took a surprise ride on the Chennai Metro Rail from Chennai Central to AG-DMS as part of his public outreach for the ongoing Assembly election campaign.

Expressing confidence in the United Democratic Front (UDF)’s prospects, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, MP, on Thursday said the strong voter turnout across Kerala points to a growing desire for change in the State.

Mr. Tharoor opined that the high participation suggests people are “voting for change”, which he said could only come through the “replacement” of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government with a UDF administration after 10 years in power.

Kooli kettan, athan gundadi pattu sethan - My husband asked for wages, but died in police firing – was a popular slogan of the DMK which had captured the imagination of people. Late poet Kudiyarasu, who was with the DMK before shifting to Vaiko’s MDMK, often recalled how the slogan coined by DMK veteran M. Karunanidhi transformed the dynamics of the 1967 Assembly election.

Muslim voters account for more than a third of the 90 lakh names removed from West Bengal’s electoral rolls during the course of the special intensive revision (SIR) process, disproportionately higher than their share of the State’s population.

A comparison of booth level data before and after the SIR shows that 57.47 lakh, or 63% of the deleted voters are Hindus, while 31.1 lakh or 34% are Muslims. This figure assumes significance because Muslims accounted for only 27% of the State’s population as per the last census in 2011. In absolute terms, however, Hindus account for the largest number of deletions.

Tribals are at the core of Anaicut Assembly constitutency that encompasses hillocks like Peenjamanthai, Jarthankollai, Kurumalai and Palampattu in Jawadhu Hills in Vellore district. Basic civic needs like bitumen roads, water supply, electricity connection and a government hospital still remain a distant dream for residents in the hills.

The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam’s (TVK) candidate for the Thousand Lights constituency, J.C.D. Prabhakar, claims that his party has gained enormous influence and trust among people within a short period of time. 

Speaking to The Hindu amid his election campaign at Choolaimedu on Thursday (April 9), Mr. Prabhakar, a two-time former legislator from the AIADMK shared his views about the TVK, its symbol and issues in Thousand Lights.

Tamil Nadu has more women electors than men, and the political parties in the State have long vied with one another for announcing welfare schemes designed for the benefit of women. The Election Commission of India, too, is adapting itself to a similar reality. It has modified some of its procedures to suit the scenario in Tamil Nadu.

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president and Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Thursday (April 9) asserted that while death was inevitable for all humans, the welfare schemes implemented by his government would endure beyond his lifetime.

Addressing an election meeting in Padappai, in the composite Kancheepuram district — the birthplace of DMK founder C.N. Annadurai — he declared: “Stalin will rule Tamil Nadu so long as the welfare schemes are in vogue.” He was seeking votes for Minister T.M. Anbarasan in Alandur, K. Selvaperunthagai in Sriperumbudur, and other candidates.

As Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Assam and Puducherry head to the polls, India’s vibrant democracy is on full display once again. But behind the rallies and roadshows, there is a growing concern: elections are becoming increasingly expensive. With political parties spending heavily on campaigns, advertising, and outreach, the role of money in shaping electoral competition is under scrutiny.

The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has severed its short-lived alliance with Humayun Kabir’s party and announced that it will contest the forthcoming West Bengal Assembly elections independently.

Assam witnessed its highest-ever voter turnout in Assembly elections on Thursday (April 9, 2026), with 85.9% polling recorded as of 11:56 p.m.., according to ECINet app.

In Assam, the bulk of the State’s 2.5 crore voters have sealed the fate of 722 candidates, including 59 women. Officials said voting was largely peaceful, despite reports of violence in a few constituencies, including Khowang and Tamulpur, and allegations of proxy voting at a booth in the Guwahati Central constituency.

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A steady flow of electors to the polling stations in Puducherry on Thursday (April 9, 2026) turned the 2026 Assembly election into a record breaking one.

Breaking all previous polling percentages, Puducherry on Thursday (April 9, 2026) registered a record 89. 74% polling with almost half of the constituencies crossing the 90% polling mark by 8 p.m. Enthusiasm among the voters was very visible from dawn as people thronged the polling stations much before the voting process even started around 7 a.m.

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​Kerala​ recorded 78.27% polling in the Assembly elections held on Thursday (April 9, 2026) as of 11:56 p.m. after what has been a short but intense period of electioneering in the State. According to the Election Commission of India (EC), 80.86% of female voters, 75.01% of male voters, and 57.04% of transgender voters in Kerala cast their votes.

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The BJP has struggled to establish a foothold on its own in Tamil Nadu, where politics has been dominated by the Dravidian majors for more than five decades, but the party has gained momentum in the State in recent years.

The BJP was long viewed as a “North Indian” party, with the Dravidian majors, particularly the DMK, carefully constructing a narrative portraying the BJP as a political outsider in the State.

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Battle lines for the April 23 Tamil Nadu Assembly election have now been clearly drawn, with the deadline for withdrawal of nominations ending on Thursday (April 9, 2026), and over 4,600 candidates in the fray.

Besides the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance, the AIADMK-led National Democratic Alliance, and Seeman’s Naam Tamilar Katchi, actor-politician C. Joseph Vijay’s fledgling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) is also seeking the people’s mandate this Assembly election.

The Trinamool Congress on Thursday (April 9, 2026) alleged that Aam Janata Unnyan Party (AJUP) chief Humayun Kabir took money from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to “plot and mislead” Muslims of West Bengal. The party shared viral sting operation videos from a conversation between Mr. Kabir and an unidentified man. However, Mr. Kabir dismissed all the allegations.