2026 State Assembly Elections: West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala

West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala all voted in 2026. All three declared results on the same day, 4 May 2026. Every single ruling party or alliance lost power that day.

1Three States, One Results Day

Overview

Three elections, one shared date

The pattern

West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala each held assembly elections in 2026. All three declared results on the same day, 4 May 2026.

The common thread

Every sitting ruling party or alliance lost power. That held true in all three states, despite very different local politics.

2West Bengal: The Headline Result

WB Result

A first-ever win for the BJP

The BJP won 208 of 294 seats in West Bengal. It defeated the three-term Trinamool Congress (TMC) government.

3Tamil Nadu: The Headline Result

TN Result

A brand-new party wins on its first try

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) is a new party, led by actor-politician Vijay. It won 108 of 234 seats, in its first-ever election.

4Kerala: The Headline Result

Kerala Result

The UDF ends a decade of LDF rule

The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) won 102 of 140 seats in Kerala. It ended a decade of Left Democratic Front (LDF) rule.

5How State Elections Work

Mechanism

Five-year terms, EVMs, and one national referee

The rules

India’s state legislative assemblies are elected for five-year terms. Voting uses first-past-the-post rules, on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

The referee

The Election Commission of India (ECI) conducts and oversees every state assembly election.

6West Bengal’s First

WB First

The first right-wing party ever to govern the state

West Bengal’s 2026 result was the BJP’s first-ever election win in the state. That made it the first right-wing party ever elected to govern West Bengal.

7Tamil Nadu’s First

TN First

Breaking a duopoly that lasted since 1967

Tamil Nadu’s TVK win broke a two-party dominance. The DMK and AIADMK had alternated in power there since 1967.

8Kerala’s First

Kerala First

The BJP’s first-ever seats in the state assembly

Kerala’s BJP won 3 seats in 2026. These were its first-ever seats in the state assembly.

9West Bengal: Polling and Turnout

WB Voting

Two phases, and a record turnout

West Bengal voted in two phases, on 23 and 29 April 2026, for its 294-seat assembly. Results were declared on 4 May 2026. Turnout was about 94%, a historic high for the state.

10West Bengal: The Seat Swing, and a New Chief Minister

WB Swing

A 131-seat gain, and a defeated three-term incumbent

The swing

The BJP won 208 seats, a gain of 131 seats over 2021. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) fell to 80 seats, a loss of 135.

9 May 2026

Suvendu Adhikari (BJP) was sworn in as Chief Minister. He replaced three-term incumbent Mamata Banerjee (TMC), at a ceremony at Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Grounds. (Source: Akashvani/All India Radio)

Constituency

Adhikari defeated Banerjee in the Bhabanipur constituency. He also won a second seat, Nandigram.

11West Bengal: A Scheme Kept and Renamed

Continuity

A rival’s welfare scheme, kept and rebranded

The new government kept the TMC’s flagship women’s cash-transfer scheme running. But it relaunched it as Annapurna Bhandar, at a higher, uniform rate.

12Tamil Nadu: Polling and Turnout

TN Voting

A single-day vote, and a state record

Tamil Nadu voted on 23 April 2026, for its 234-seat assembly. Results were declared on 4 May 2026. Turnout was about 85%, a state record.

13Tamil Nadu: A First-Time Winner, and a Coalition

TN Debut

108 seats, and a coalition to cross the line

Debut win

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), led by actor-politician Vijay, won 108 seats in its first-ever election. That made it the single largest party.

Runners-up

The ruling DMK fell to 59 seats, down 74 from 2021. The AIADMK won 47 seats. Congress won 5 seats, and the BJP won 1.

Forming a majority

TVK’s 108 seats fell short of the 118-seat majority mark. Vijay formed a coalition with other regional parties, not including the DMK, to secure a majority.

14Tamil Nadu: A New Chief Minister

TN Upset

An incumbent Chief Minister loses his own seat

Upset

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin lost his own seat, Kolathur, to a TVK candidate. Stalin resigned as Chief Minister on 5 May 2026.

10 May 2026

Vijay was sworn in as Chief Minister, at Chennai’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. He became the first leader outside the DMK-AIADMK formations to head the state since 1967. (Source: ANI)

Confidence vote

His coalition government passed a floor test on 13 May 2026.

15Kerala: Polling and Turnout

Kerala Voting

Turnout rises from the previous election

Kerala’s 140-seat assembly election results were declared on 4 May 2026. Turnout was about 80%, up from the previous election.

16Kerala: The Seat Swing, and a New Chief Minister

Kerala Swing

A decade of LDF rule ends

Result

The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) won 102 seats. Congress alone won 63 of those seats.

Incumbent

The incumbent Left Democratic Front (LDF) fell to 35 seats. That ended its second straight term in power.

BJP debut

The BJP won 3 seats, its first-ever seats in the Kerala assembly, on about 10% vote share.

Choosing a Chief Minister

Choosing the UDF’s Chief Minister candidate was a genuine multi-candidate contest inside the Congress party.

18 May 2026

V.D. Satheesan was sworn in as Chief Minister, at Central Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram. He replaced outgoing Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan (CPI(M)). (Source: Onmanorama)

17Same Day, Different Shapes

Comparison

One results day, three different kinds of change

All three states declared results on the same day, 4 May 2026. But each outcome took a different shape. West Bengal and Kerala saw power shift between two long-established rivals. Tamil Nadu saw power go to a brand-new party instead.

18Anti-Incumbency, the Common Thread

Pattern

Every sitting government lost, one way or another

The thread

Anti-incumbency was a common thread. All three sitting state governments lost power in this election cycle.

A pattern going back decades

Tamil Nadu’s result broke a pattern going back to 1967, the last time a non-Dravidian party led the state. West Bengal’s and Kerala’s outgoing parties had each governed for a decade or more. Both were unseated in the same election cycle.

Read more

For a fuller profile of each state, see GK0077 — West Bengal, GK0061 — Tamil Nadu, and GK0035 — Kerala.

19MCQ on the 2026 State Elections