The Election Commission of India will announce the results of the 2026 Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Puducherry on May 4. The outcome is likely to be clear by Monday evening after the counting process is completed.
Date and time
How are votes counted?
Vote counting in India follows a well-defined procedure supervised by the Election Commission. The process starts with postal ballots, which are cast by groups such as service voters, election staff, and persons with disabilities. These are counted first and officially recorded.
After that, counting of votes stored in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) begins, usually about 30 minutes later. EVMs display the total votes received by each candidate when the result button is pressed in the presence of officials and representatives of political parties.
Where to check results
Official results can be followed on the Election Commission’s website (eci.gov.in), while detailed coverage and analysis are also available on platforms like LiveMint.
What's the latest in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala, and Puducherry?
A fresh exit poll released on Thursday projected a strong performance by the Bharatiya Janata Party in West Bengal and Assam, while indicating that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam is likely to return to power in Tamil Nadu.
The Today's Chanakya survey also suggested a close contest in Kerala, estimating around 69 seats for the Congress-led UDF and 64 for the ruling LDF, with a margin of error of nine seats.
Bengal: EC likely to reduce number of counting centres again
The authorities did not reveal the reason for the move.
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal, Manoj Kumar Agarwal, said the number of counting centres was earlier brought down from 108 to 87 about two weeks ago for the 294 Assembly constituencies in the state.
"The number of counting centres can be reduced further from 77 if required. All counting centres will be under CCTV surveillance," Agarwal said.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, however, asserted that her party would win more than 226 seats and alleged that the exit poll projections were aired at the "instruction of the BJP" to demoralise TMC workers.
Tamil Nadu polls: Anbumani asks party cadres to be more vigilant during vote counting
PMK leader Dr Anbumani Ramadoss on Friday urged the party workers to be more vigilant and coordinated during the counting of votes for the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections held on April 23.
"Of the two phases we have travelled so far -- the election campaigning and the voting -- the third phase, the counting of votes scheduled for May 4, is undoubtedly the most crucial," the former union minister said in a statement.
Today's Chanakya predicted that the DMK would return to power in Tamil Nadu but actor-turned-politician Vijay's TVK would have a stunning poll debut, beating AIADMK, to the second spot.
It predicted that the DMK plus would get 125 seats, TVK 63 seats and AIADMK 45 seats with a margin of error of 11 seats. Tamil Nadu has a total of 234 seats with the magic mark being 118.
Shashi Tharoor says ‘confident’ we are going to win Kerala
Shashi Tharoor on Thursday expressed confidence that the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) will secure victory in Kerala, predicting the alliance will win more than 75 of the 140 assembly seats.
Tharoor, a Kerala native, said he was not surprised by the exit poll projections, many of which indicate a win for the UDF, which has been out of power in the state for the past decade.
In Kerala, Today's Chanakya predicted a close contest, forecasting 69 seats (plus/minus nine seats) for the UDF, 64 seats (plus/minus nine seats) for the LDF and 7 seats (plus/minus four) for the BJP. Kerala assembly has 140 seats with the magic mark being 71.
Assam, Puducherry
On April 9, Assam, Kerala and Puducherry went to polls. Tamil Nadu went to polls on April 23.
While the BJP is seeking to retain power in Assam and Puducherry, where it is in an alliance government with All India N R Congress, the Congress is looking to wrest power from its rival in both these places.
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