The DMK has finalised candidates for 13 of its 14 seats (as part of the INDIA bloc) in the April 9 Puducherry Assembly elections, with party convenor and Leader of Opposition R. Siva seeking re-election from Villianur.

As part of the seat-sharing arrangement, the DMK has set aside Ozhukarai for its ally, the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK). However, VCK leader Thol. Thirumavalavan had said that the party would contest the elections alone and field candidates in three seats.

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In view of the ensuing Assembly election in Tamil Nadu, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday (March 24, 2026) said conducting and publishing or publicising exit poll by means of print or electronic media or dissemination in any other manner, the result of any exit poll is prohibited between 7 a.m. on April 9 (beginning of polls in five States/UT) and 6.30 p.m. on April 29 (end of polls in five State/UT).

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With days left for the crucial Assembly polls, a political row has erupted in Kerala over BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar’s affidavit, with the Congress alleging that he had concealed details of a high-value property in Bengaluru and lodging a complaint with the Election Commission.

-PTI

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday (March 24, 2026) alleged that the purported BJP rubber stamp on a communication of the Election Commission proved beyond doubt which party was controlling the poll watchdog from the backseat.

With just a few weeks left for the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections, political parties across the State are gearing up for the single phase of polling to be held across all 140 Assembly constituencies on April 9, 2026. The counting of votes is scheduled for May 4, 2026.

The United Democratic Front or UDF is aiming to stage a return to office and consolidate its base, having released its list of candidates for the upcoming Kerala Assembly election.

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The Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) led by Thol. Thirumavalavan has been allocated eight Assembly segments in the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) for the upcoming Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu.

The seat-sharing agreement was signed by DMK president M.K. Stalin and Mr. Thirumavalavan on Tuesday (March 24, 2026) at Anna Arivalayam, the DMK headquarters in Chennai. As per the arrangement between the two parties, the VCK will contest six reserved Assembly segments and two general constituencies.

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DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Tuesday said preparedness for the impact of the ongoing conflict in West Asia cannot be outsourced to the people, and questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi on whether he was prepared to protect the people.

“Preparedness cannot be outsourced to the people. Prepared for what — leadership, or its absence? Who is expected to be prepared — the Union government or the people of the country?,” Mr. Stalin wrote in a post on X.

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Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla today announced that the resignation of MP from Assam Pradyut Bordoloi, who quit the Congress and joined the BJP, has been accepted.

Mr. Bordoloi, who was elected to the Lok Sabha from Nagaon for two consecutive terms on a Congress ticket, resigned from the opposition party on March 17 and subsequently joined the BJP.

The saffron party, a day later, gave him a ticket to contest the forthcoming Assam assembly elections from the Dispur seat.

The Speaker said the resignation of Mr. Bordoloi as Lok Sabha MP has been accepted with effect from March 20.

Bordoloi was a minister in Assam’s then Tarun Gogoi-led Congress government for 15 years before being elected to the Lok Sabha for two terms.

-PTI

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has clarified his recent remarks on former CPI(M) leader G. Sudhakaran, who is contesting as an Independent candidate in Ambalappuzha with UDF support in the Kerala Assembly elections, that labelled him a “chetta” (a derogatory term in Malayalam).

Naam Tamilar Katchi Chief Seeman speaking at an election campaign for Vellore, Anaicut, Katpadi constituency candidates at Mundy Street in Vellore today.

Photo: C. Venkatachalapathy

The ruling DMK is likely to sign a seat-sharing pact with its alliance partner VCK on Today, for the April 23 election, Minister for Transport and Electricity, SS Sivasankar, has said.

DMK, which is leading the Secular Progressive Alliance, finalised a pact with CPI(M) by allocating it five seats on March 23, yesterday and it is expected to sign the pact with VCK on today, the senior DMK leader added.

The DMK has already commenced its campaigning for the Assembly polls, he told reporters late on March 23.

“DMK has already started its campaigning. Deputy Chief Minister (Udhayanidhi Stalin) is already in campaign trail. We will win the 2026 elections,” he said.

-PTI

West Bengal’s minority vote bank is showing signs of churn ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections, with smaller Muslim outfits, a resurgent Congress in north Bengal and simmering grievances testing the ruling TMC’s once-impregnable electoral fortress.

For nearly 15 years, minority voters have formed the backbone of the TMC’s electoral dominance in the state. Multiple players are now vying for a slice of the roughly 30% minority electorate, which influences outcomes in more than 114 of the state’s 294 Assembly seats.

Political observers said the emergence of players such as the Indian Secular Front (ISF) led by Nawsad Siddique, suspended TMC MLA Humayun Kabir’s AJUP aligning with AIMIM, and renewed Congress activity in Murshidabad and Malda has injected a new layer of uncertainty into Bengal’s minority electoral arithmetic.

They said such a development could become one of the defining undercurrents of the 2026 polls.

-PTI

Congress leader Sachin Pilot has alleged that the BJP-led alliance is “facilitating” the retention of the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government in Kerala, and that “data” suggests the LDF is in “cahoots” with the NDA.

In an interview with PTI Videos, Mr. Pilot, who is the Congress’s senior election observer for the Kerala polls, accused Chief Minister Vijayan of secretly working with the BJP for personal benefit, particularly to avoid corruption investigations.

He said that the efforts of the CPI(M) and the BJP would not succeed as the “people have seen through the fallacy and falsehood.” The Congress leader was responding to a query regarding Mr. Vijayan’s allegations that the Congress is acting as a B-team of the BJP in the State.

“I do not know how the chief minister is making such allegations when the data suggests that it is the CPI(M) and the LDF that are in cahoots with the BJP and the NDA. Even today, the NDA’s participation in the Kerala elections appears to be aimed purely at facilitating the LDF’s return to power.

-PTI

Almost half of the cases kept under adjudication after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal have now been settled, Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal said on Monday (March 23, 2026).

But, the CEO did not specify how many of those cases were included in or excluded from the final voter list. 

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The Congress today expressed concern over ally Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) deciding to contest 21 seats in the upcoming Assam assembly elections independently, saying the move could split anti-BJP tribal votes.

The JMM earlier in the day announced 21 candidates for the April 9 elections to the 126-member Assam assembly.

Congress leader Rakesh Ranjan said the party had hoped JMM would contest the polls as part of the opposition coalition.

“We wanted to contest the Assam elections together. Assam Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi had visited Jharkhand along with other senior leaders, and we expected an alliance with JMM. However, the party chose to field 21 candidates on its own, which may split tribal votes,” he said.

Mr. Ranjan said both parties share the broader objective of defeating the BJP in Assam.

-PTI

The Kerala Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) suspended an Assistant Section Officer following a “clerical error” that saw a document with a BJP seal mistakenly distributed as an official Election Commission communication.

In an X post, the office clarified that the error occurred when a photocopy of the 2019 guidelines submitted by the BJP, bearing their seal, was inadvertently redistributed to other political parties, prompting immediate rectification by senior officials in the office.

-ANI

A total of 445 candidates have filed nominations for the 30 assembly constituencies in the Union Territory of Puducherry.

The filing of nominations began on March 16 and concluded yesterday.

As many as 445 candidates have filed 515 nominations. Scrutiny of nominations is slated for today, while the final day for withdrawal of nominations is March 26.

-PTI

Over 800 candidates from across political parties and Independents have filed their nominations for the Assam Assembly elections as the process concluded yesterday, officials said.

The office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) said a total of 818 candidates have submitted nominations for the 126-member Assembly.

“In several constituencies, candidates filed more than one nomination, resulting in a total of 1,391 papers filed,” it said.

Scrutiny of the papers will be taken up today, and the last date of withdrawal of nominations is on Thursday, the statement said.

-PTI

The Election Commission of India yesterday approved the transfer and posting of returning officers for the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections, including for Bhabanipur, the constituency represented by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, an official said.

In a letter to the Chief Electoral Officer, the commission agreed to the state’s proposal for the reshuffle, according to an enclosed list.

Officials said the reshuffle covers several constituencies, including the high-profile Bhabanipur seat, represented by the Chief Minister.

The poll panel has directed the officers to report to their respective constituencies by 5 p.m. on March 24.

The move is aimed at ensuring their participation in a training programme scheduled for 11 a.m. on March 25 ahead of the election process.

-PTI