Referring to PM Modi’s speech in Palakkad on Sunday, Rahul Gandhi said the Prime Minister “often speaks about temples and religion, but remained silent on Sabarimala.”

“He forgot to speak about Sabarimala. He did not mention the issues related to Lord Ayyappa temple. This shows that the BJP and the LDF are working together,” he alleged in the district where the Ayyappa temple is located.

The Congress leader also claimed that the Prime Minister raises religious issues “only when it suits electoral interests.”

The Left Democratic Front (LDF) has pinned its hopes on K.T. Jaleel,who was the Higher Education and Minority Welfare Minister in the first LDF government led by Pinarayi Vijayan, to retain the Tavanur Assembly seat in Malappuram district. His bond with the people and the government’s track record will see him through, he tells The Hindu in an interview. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday (March 30, 2026) said Assam saw a long span of instability, but things changed in the past decade as the BJP’s double-engine government made every effort to ensure peace in the state.

Twelve peace agreements were signed by the government with different organisations in the northeast, Mr. Modi said while addressing the BJP’s booth level workers in poll-bound Assam as part of the ‘Mera Booth, Sabse Mazboot Samvaad’.

Tensions flared in Dharmadam constituency in Kannur, Kerala, after an alleged attempt was made to assault UDF candidate V.P. Abdul Rasheed during election campaigning at Kaithapram in Anjarakandy on Sunday night. 

Assam Finance Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Golaghat constituency, Ajanta Neog, exuded confidence on Monday that the BJP will perform even better in the upcoming Assembly elections than it did in 2021.

She attributed this to the public’s growing trust in the party’s governance and development record over the last five years.

“We are extremely confident that the Bharatiya Janata Party will win even more seats than in 2021. Over the last five years, the people of Assam have seen real development and stability. This growing trust will translate into a stronger mandate,” Ms. Neog said in an interview.

Highlighting the role of women voters, she added that the turnout is expected to be high, with significant participation from women.

-ANI

The Peravur Assembly constituency is set for a keenly watched electoral battle, with the Left Democratic Front (LDF) fielding K.K. Shailaja, sitting MLA of Mattannur, against sitting MLA and Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Sunny Joseph.

Launching a sharp attack on Narendra Modi, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday alleged that the Prime Minister remained silent on the Sabarimala issue during his Kerala visit, indicating that the BJP-LDF works together.

Addressing a Congress election meeting in Adoor, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, claimed that the party was facing a “combination” of CPI(M) and BJP in the April 9 Assembly elections.

“We are fighting an election against the LDF, which is fully supported by the BJP. On one side is the UDF and on the other is a CPI(M)-BJP combination,” he said.

He alleged that there was a “hidden hand” of the BJP in Kerala, a concept often used by economists in the market.

“The BJP does not want the UDF here because they know the Congress is the only force challenging them nationally. We have an ideological fight with the BJP and the RSS,” he said.

-PTI

Alleging large-scale irregularities in appointments under a Central assistance scheme, Kannur Corporation Mayor P. Indira has accused the Kerala government of attempting to “plunder whatever remains from a sinking ship” in its final days in office, and demanded immediate intervention by the Election Commission of India (ECI).

DMK leader from Madurai and Tamil Nadu Information Technology Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, who previously held the Finance portfolio, discusses about the impact of government’s welfare spends, actor Vijay’s political entry, and more in an interview with The Hindu

The Bongaigaon Assembly constituency, part of the Barpeta Lok Sabha seat, the region known as one of the starting points of the Assam agitation, is headed to polls on April 9, along with the rest of Assam. The NDA has ceded the seat to the AGP, which has held it for the last 40 years. However, even as BJP workers campaign for sitting MLA DiptimayeeChoudhury, a section of saffron party cadres in this region has also been supporting her rival, Chakradhar Das, a former BJP leader now contesting as an Independent candidate after being denied a ticket.

Read more here.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Chennai and Puducherry on April 3 and 4 for electioneering in Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory, which will go to the polls on April 23 and April 9, respectively, sources said. The Greater Chennai City Police are making elaborate bandobust arrangements in view of the VVIP visit.

Chathannur constituency in Kollam stands as a microcosm of Kerala’s shifting political currents where a dramatic recalibration of voting patterns has shattered the conventional electoral equilibrium.

DMK MP Kanimozhi said: “When money is put on hands of people, it acts as stimulus, helps economic growth.”

She denounces dubbing welfare schemes as freebies, says it is a bid to ‘politicise’ such schemes.

“Those who think that social justice must not be created may criticise schemes like fare-free bus travel for women,” said Ms. Kanimozhi.

-PTI

DMK principal secretary K.N. Nehru filed his nomination for Tiruchi West constituency.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday accepted Congress leader V.D. Satheesan’s challenge for a public debate, intensifying the political sparring ahead of the April 9 Assembly polls.

A day after Mr. Satheesan challenged him for a public debate, Mr. Vijayan shared the LDF government’s “report card” on his social media handle and said the discussion could be held based on the achievements listed in it.

Highlighting what he termed as the government’s “A-plus” performance, the chief minister asked whether the opposition was ready to debate on those points.

Soon after Mr. Vijayan’s post, Mr. Satheesan said he accepted the challenge and was ready for the debate at a time and venue decided by the CM.

-PTI

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin filed his nomination of the State Assembly elections on Monday (March 30, 2026) from Kolathur in Chennai, while TVK’s Vijay also filed his nomination from Perambur.

Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) president Anbumani Ramadoss on Monday announced that his spouse and president of Pasumai Thayagam, an NGO, Sowmiya Anbumani, would contest the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections from the party’s stronghold, the Dharmapuri constituency.

In a first in Kerala, the ballot units for the polling will have colour photographs of the candidates. The ECI’s decision has prompted the State Printing Department to make necessary changes in its election workflow.

DMK chief M.K. Stalin on Monday said his party’s manifesto for the April 23 Assembly election was a “game-changing” plan for Tamil Nadu as it underscored the steps towards progress.

The monetary support announced in the poll manifesto, he said, was a “smart economic multiplier” that would uplift the local economy, support small businesses, upskill people, and upgrade long-term outcomes.

“Development and welfare move together, proving you can build infrastructure, grow the economy, and uplift people simultaneously. From one-size-fits-all to choice-based governance,” the Tamil Nadu chief minister said, and added “people decide what works for them.” The manifesto focused on creating assets, improving productivity, generating economic activity, and delivering measurable long-term returns, he said in a post on ‘X’.

-PTI

Virugambakkam and its surrounding areas are among the fast-developing neighbourhoods in Chennai. It is home to several residential localities, besides one of Asia’s largest perishable goods markets — the Koyambedu Wholesale Market Complex — and Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G.R. Bus Terminus, formerly Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus (CMBT).

Home voting for voters above 85 years and those in the persons with disabilities (PwD) category is set to commence today in Kerala as part of the 2026 State Assembly elections.

A little over 2.07 lakh voters in both categories have opted for the facility in the State. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has approved 1,45,592 applications of voters in the 85-plus category, and 62,220 applications of PwD voters filed through Form 12D for availing themselves of the option.

Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Monday kicked off his campaign for the 2026 Kerala Assembly Elections.

He departed from his residence in Delhi on Monday and is set to address a series of public meetings in Kerala today, as the party ramps up its campaign for the upcoming 2026 State elections.

He recently launched the United Democratic Front’s (UDF) election campaign in Kozhikode on March 25, focusing on key issues like governance, development, and welfare schemes.

Today, he’s addressing public meetings in Kerala, aiming to energise party workers and attract undecided voters.

His campaign is expected to highlight the UDF’s “guarantee card” promises, targeting key constituencies and minority communities. The elections are shaping up to be a closely contested battle between the UDF and the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF).

- ANI

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has published the fourth supplementary voter list after SIR adjudications in poll-bound West Bengal, an official said. There was, however, no information from the ECI on the total number of deletions or inclusions.

“The fourth list has been released. We cannot tell anything else other than this,” the official said on Sunday.

Around 60 lakh names were marked as “under adjudication” in the final voters’ list published on February 28. Following that, 705 judicial officers were engaged to determine whether these names would be kept or deleted from the electoral rolls.

- PTI

The Congress on Sunday fielded several heavyweights for the West Bengal Assembly election 2026, including former party leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and former Rajya Sabha MP Mausam Benazir Noor.

The party, which has decided to contest all the 294 seats in the State, announced candidates for 284 of them, effectively ending a decade-long electoral understanding with the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Front, which has allied with the Indian Secular Front (ISF).

In the past five years, the M.K. Stalin government has implemented several welfare schemes with far-reaching impact that helped uplift the lives of women as well as other sections.

It delivered on its key poll promises, such as the Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam, which entitled 1.31 crore women heads of families to receive a monthly rights grant of ₹1,000 and the Vidiyal Payanam scheme, allowing women to travel with ‘zero cost’ bus tickets in select routes.

At the same time, the government introduced schemes that did not figure in its manifesto. This included empowering schemes such as Pudhumai Penn, Tamil Pudhalvan, Naan Mudhalvan, Illam Thedi Kalvi, Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam, and Thayumanavar.

But how many of the 505 promises the DMK made in 2021 have been fulfilled? The party leaders have made varying claims about this in the past. Some leaders claimed 90% of them had been honoured.