The 2026 assembly elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala could become an ‘election of records’ as vote counting began for the high-stakes contests in these states.
Regional Opposition leaders Mamata Banerjee, Pinarayi Vijayan, and Vijay are seeking consecutive terms and hoping to keep the BJP-led NDA out of power in their respective regions.
Mamata Banerjee, the TMC chief, could secure a fourth straight term as chief minister, becoming the first woman in India to win four consecutive assembly mandates as chief minister of a major state.
Vijay, a debutant actor-politician, could make history by winning power through a newly formed party, placing him among the few Indian film stars to turn personal popularity into immediate state power.
Pinarayi Vijayan, the CPI(M) leader, could script history for the Left Democratic Front (LDF) leader in Kerala by winning three straight victories, almost unheard of in Kerala’s modern electoral history.
