The Election Commission of India (ECI) has officially sounded the poll bugle for the 2026 Assembly Elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala, and the Union Territory of Puducherry. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar announced the comprehensive schedule on Sunday, setting the stage for a democratic exercise involving 17.4 crore voters.

In a decisive move, the ECI has simplified the polling process this time. Assam, Kerala, and Puducherry will go to the polls in a single phase on April 9. Tamil Nadu will also witness a single-phase election on April 23. However, West Bengal remains the outlier with a two-phase schedule: the first phase on April 23 (152 seats) and the second on April 29 (142 seats). The much-anticipated counting of votes across all five regions will take place on May 4.

To manage the massive scale of the elections, 2.19 lakh polling stations will be established, overseen by 25 lakh election officials. The ECI has emphasized ‘Zero Tolerance’ towards violence, especially in Bengal, which previously saw multiple phases. With the Model Code of Conduct now in force, all eyes are on May 4 to see which political forces emerge victorious in this civilizational battle for power.