Assembly Election 2026 Highlights: Vijay says Tamil Nadu poll battle only between TVK and DMK

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Watch: Union Minister and BJP's election in-charge for Tamil Nadu, Piyush Goyal, holds a road show in Thanjavur to campaign in support of the party colleague and Thanjavur Assembly seat candidate, Karuppu M Muruganantham, for the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.

Watch: The Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly and BJP's candidate from the Nandigram and Bhabanipur Assembly seats, Suvendu Adhikari, leads a campaign march in Nandigram.

(With agency inputs)

TVK chief Vijay on Sunday reiterated that the primary battle in the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly polls will be between his party and the ruling DMK, despite the claims of a four-cornered contest in the state.

"It is not 4-cornered or 40-cornered fight. There are only two sides here: One is TVK, the other is DMK. Do you want an anti-people Stalin government, or Vijay, who loves people? That's all this election is," the actor-politician was quoted as saying by news agency PTI at an election rally.

(With PTI inputs)

Actor-politician Vijay on Sunday said the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections are a direct contest between his party, TVK, and the ruling DMK, rejecting claims of a multi-cornered battle. Addressing a rally, he framed the choice as between an “anti-people” government led by M K Stalin and his own leadership, saying, “There are only two sides: TVK and DMK.”

Vijay also unveiled a tech-driven governance pitch, promising to set up India’s first Ministry of Artificial Intelligence, along with an “AI City” and a dedicated AI University. He said such initiatives would help Tamil Nadu tap into the global technology economy, which he estimated could contribute USD 1.7 trillion to India by 2035.

Addressing a poll rally in Tamil Nadu's Ramanathapuram, Chief Minister MK Stalin on Sunday promised to increase buses for free travel for women if the DMK retains power after the upcoming Assembly elections.

(With PTI inputs)

AIMIM chief and Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi said on Sunday that his party has "good expectations" for the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections. "I have come here for the success of my party's candidates. I will stay here for the next three days. We will again come back for the second phase of elections," he said as he arrived in West Bengal's Durgapur.

"The secular government has been in power in this state for a long time. Until an independent political leadership of minorities comes up, they will not get justice," the leader said in a video byte shared by news agency ANI on X.  

He also spoke on breaking up the pre-poll alliance with Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AUJP) after its chief was purportedly heard saying in a viral video that he was in close touch with BJP leaders.

"We have left them now. We have no connection with his party now," Owaisi said.

(With agency inputs)

West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee on Sunday claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was threatening her party's candidates, including state ministers, in an attempt to ensure that they extend their support in case the saffron party falls short of the majority mark after the upcoming Assembly elections in the state.

(With PTI inputs)

The CPM-led LDF has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission, alleging that Congress-led UDF's candidate Reji Cheriyan was involved in luring voters with money during the Assembly election campaign in the Kuttanad constituency.

The LDF election committee alleged in its complaint that Cheriyan distributed money both directly and through UPI transactions.

The leader contested the election as a candidate of the Kerala Congress (Joseph) ticket, which is a constituent of the UDF.

Voting for Assembly elections in Kerala took place on April 9, and the results for all 140 constituencies will be declared on May 4.

(With PTI inputs)

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin stepped up his rhetoric against the so-called Hindi imposition, accusing the BJP and the AIADMK of attempting to undermine the state's linguistic identity.

"Even if you give us Rs 10,000 crore, we will not allow Hindi imposition," the DMK chief said.

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Tamil Nadu Deputy CM and DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin on Sunday accused AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami of compromising the state's rights by practising a "politics of prostration" to maintain his hold on power.

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Accusing the Trinamool Congress (TMC) of pursuing pro-appeasement policies in West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday urged people to vote for a "double-engine" government in the state for a truly inclusive regime.

Addressing a rally in poll-bound West Bengal's Bankura district, the BJP leader said that Bengal is known as the land of Swami Vivekananda and Ramakrishna, who enriched the country's spiritual quest.

"But the TMC government disrespects spiritual icons revered worldwide, posing a threat to the Hindu identity of the state," he cliamed.

(With PTI inputs)

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday launched a blistering attack on poll-bound West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) by invoking Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim's purported "one day, half the population in West Bengal will speak Urdu" statement. 

Addressing a poll rally in the Purba Medinipur district, the BJP leader said, "Today, the Mayor of Kolkata openly challenges you. He says that half the population of Bengal will speak Urdu. That means they want to eradicate the Bangla language. They want to wipe out the Bengali identity.... Tell these people that if they insist on Urdu, go to the place where Urdu is actually spoken."

(With agency inputs)

West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee once again slammed the Election Commission for alleged partial treatment. 

From her rally, Banerjee said, "The EC did not permit us initially. May I ask why? They can permit PM on short notice, but not me." 

Hinting at the alleged nexus between the BJP and the Commission, she urged EC to work neutrally instead of being instructed by anyone.

(PTI Inputs)

From his rally in Siliguri, Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the Trinamool Congress of allowing illegal infiltrators. He said that these infiltrators are silently changing the demography of North Bengal along with the culture. 

He urged the people of North Bengal to give the BJP a chance to throw these infiltrators out of West Bengal.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the Trinamool Congress is preventing the development of the Adivasis by not allowing the centre's Adivasi-centric schemes in West Bengal.

While delivering his speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appreciated Richa Ghosh, an Indian cricketer, who hails from north Bengal. 

During his speech, Modi said, "Richa Ghosh hits plenty of sixes. When I met her, I was surprised to see her confidence and strength." 

He added that Bengal has many talents like Richa Ghosh. However, it is the Trinamool Congress that does not let these talents flourish, as the party allegedly restrict women. 

He further added that the centre's Khelo India scheme has benefited lakhs of women across the country and to develop more talents in Bengal, the BJP will take several initiatives, like establishing a sports university and several others to benefit women in Bengal.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that the Trinamool Congress holds an association with a section of people who want to cut North Bengal not only from the state but also from the nation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched a blistering attack on the Trinamool Congress and Mamata Banerjee. 

He accused the TMC of providing state-based madrassas with Rs 6,000 crore and depriving North Bengal. He alleged that Mamata Banerjee's party will takes care of its core vote bank and nothing else. 

He also accused TMC of being anti-women, anti-youth, and anti-North Bengal party.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that there is only one slogan in the state and that it is 'Paltano dorkar (A change is needed). 

He also accused TMC of misruling Bengal for 15 years.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, before beginning his speech, asked all the people who brought paintings to show respect to the Prime Minister, to write their address, so that he could write back to them.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived in Siliguri to address a rally on Sunday. 

His speech will begin shortly. 

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took a sharp jibe at the ruling Trinamool Congress, saying that in this election, Trinamool's time would finally come to an end as the BJP would emerge victorious. 

He further added that the era of development will begin following the ouster of the Trinamool government.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched a scathing attack on the Trinamool Congress and the Left Front during his rally in West Bengal. 

Adityanath said that a double-engine government in the centre and the state would make Bengal terror-free and also put all the criminals owing allegiance to the TMC and Left behind bars. 

He also criticised Mamata Banerjee for not standing up and condemning the death of Hindu youth in Bangladesh for fear of losing votes. 

Addressing a series of political flashpoints, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday launched a scathing critique of the BJP-led central government, accusing the party of deceit and administrative overreach. Highlighting recent events in Bihar, Banerjee claimed that voters were bribed with ₹8,000 prior to the elections, only to face "bulldozer" actions once the polls concluded. She further dismissed the scale of the BJP’s political rallies, alleging that the party pays individuals ₹500 to attend meetings.

Countering the Prime Minister’s remarks on employment and administration, Banerjee questioned the high number of vacancies in the Defence and Railways sectors, contrasting them with what she described as significant employment generation within Bengal. She also reaffirmed her government’s commitment to state employees, noting that West Bengal had already moved to implement the 7th Pay Commission in February of this year. Additionally, the Chief Minister raised concerns over the treatment of regional identities, accusing BJP-ruled states of systematically targeting and torturing Bengali-speaking residents.

BJP working president Nitin Nabin said the ruling DMK is the most corrupt government in the state. 

He also said that NDA is contesting together in and the alliance will lead to the exit of MK Stalin's party in the state.

"NDA is intact and contesting here together. The corrupt government of DMK, the most corrupt in the country, will certainly be uprooted by this NDA alliance," he said.

(ANI Inputs)

In his speech, Yogi Adityanath said that West Bengal, in this election, will go through a change. 

Taking a jibe at the erstwhile rulers, Congress, the Left, and the Trinamool Congress, he said that their collective misruling has led to disasters in West Bengal.

During his speech, Yogi Adityanath talked about Rabindranath Tagore and Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and hailed them as cultural icons who wrote the national song and national anthem, respectively.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has arrived in Bankura's Sonamukhi to address the first rally in West Bengal. 

He will start speaking shortly.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta campaigns for BJP candidate Biman Ghosh ahead of the West Bengal assembly polls.

(Inputs from ANI)

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta held an election campaign in support of BJP candidate Biman Ghosh for the Pursurah Assembly constituency in West Bengal’s Hooghly district. Addressing a public gathering, Gupta urged voters to back the BJP, highlighting the party’s development agenda and governance model. She criticised the ruling Trinamool Congress over alleged corruption and law-and-order issues, and expressed confidence that the BJP would secure a strong mandate in the region.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath, will hold three rallies in West Bengal today. 

In the first one, he will address people in Bankura district's Sonamukhi around 12.15 PM. In the second, he will visit East Midnapore's Nandkumar and will address the crowd around 2.05 pm. 

Lastly, he will be visiting Kanthi Dakshin assembly constituency in East Midnapore around 3.30 pm.

With less than two weeks to go in West Bengal's assembly polls, campaigning has intensified in the state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a rally in Siliguri at 1 pm on Sunday. 

A day before, he held three rallies in Purba Bardhaman, Jangipur and Balurghat, before arriving at Bagdogra airport, from where he conducted a roadshow.

(With PTI inputs)