Assembly Election 2026 highlights: People will answer TMC's bombs with ballots, Amit Shah in Bengal

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Birbhum, warning that “if anyone casts a malevolent eye upon Bengal, the people will gouge that eye out”.

Banerjee questioned Modi’s repeated claim of contesting all 294 seats, asking whether he intended to remain Prime Minister or become Bengal’s Chief Minister. Calling him an “outsider”, she said he should first “manage Delhi” before focusing on the state, asserting that Bengal’s people would resist external interference.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to interact with booth-level workers from West Bengal on Tuesday at 4 pm through the NaMo App under the “Mera Booth Sabse Mazboot” programme.

The outreach is aimed at strengthening grassroots mobilisation ahead of the polls, with a focus on energising booth workers and sharpening the BJP’s ground-level election strategy in the state.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday highlighted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s grassroots connect, describing him as a “karyakarta by heart” who guides party workers on winning public trust. Goyal said Modi has been advising party cadres on outreach strategies, including how to connect with different sections of society and effectively campaign across the state.

“Our estimate is that several lakh karyakartas have joined this audio bridge to hear Prime Minister Modi and will benefit from his advice on how to campaign, how to reach out to voters and how to win this election so that the corrupt Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government is defeated,” he said.

Expressing confidence in the alliance’s prospects, Goyal added that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is “working like a family together” and is set to win the election.

(ANI)

A massive electoral dispute in West Bengal took centre stage in the Supreme Court, with the bench refusing to allow lakhs of voters whose names were deleted from the rolls to cast their ballots, warning against overburdening appellate tribunals ahead of polling. Read full story here

TVK chief Vijay condemned an alleged attack on women in Coimbatore district, where individuals were accused of pasting party stickers on a house wall without permission and assaulting residents who objected.

Vijay called the incident “outrageous” and demanded immediate arrests, urging police to curb such acts. He also appealed to the Election Commission to strengthen monitoring, warning that intimidation tactics ahead of polling could undermine free and fair voting.

Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy hit back at the BJP over its criticism of the Congress on women’s reservation, asserting that it was the Congress which ensured voting rights for women in independent India.

Reddy said the NDA had an opportunity to allot 33% tickets to women after the 2024 general elections but failed to implement the promise in subsequent polls, questioning the BJP’s commitment to women’s representation.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to elect its first chief minister in Bihar on Tuesday, party leaders said, as a major political transition appears imminent with Nitish Kumar expected to resign from the top post.

Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, appointed as the BJP’s central observer, is set to arrive in Patna to oversee the election of the legislature party leader who will take over as chief minister.

Kumar, the longest-serving chief minister of the state who turned 75 last month, is expected to visit Raj Bhavan after chairing his final cabinet meeting at 11 am on Tuesday. He is likely to formally announce his decision to relinquish office during the meeting before submitting his resignation.

A week ago, Kumar was sworn in as a Rajya Sabha member, fuelling speculation about his exit from state politics.

Confirming the development, Bihar BJP president Sanjay Saraogi said the party’s legislators would meet in the presence of Chouhan to elect their leader.

“Shivraj Singh Chouhan ji will be coming to Patna tomorrow, and BJP legislators will be electing their leader in his presence,” Saraogi told reporters.

TVK’s Villivakkam candidate and General Secretary of Campaign Management Aadhav Arjuna said that party chief Vijay is witnessing widespread support across all 234 constituencies in Tamil Nadu. He claimed that TVK candidates are receiving a grand welcome wherever they go and that people are looking at the party as an alternative to the two major political forces in the state. Arjuna added that the party’s election manifesto will be released soon and also alleged that there is growing public resentment against Minister K. N. Nehru’s family in Tiruchirappalli.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah alleged that the TMC government is not providing land to the BSF for border fencing in West Bengal. He said that within 45 days of a BJP government being formed in the state, land would be allocated for fencing along the border. Shah also asserted that illegal immigrants would be removed not only from West Bengal but from across the country.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday alleged that people in West Bengal will no longer be intimidated by violence, claiming that they will respond to bomb attacks with ballots and fear with trust. Targeting the ruling TMC, Shah accused its supporters of engaging in violence and urged voters to press the lotus symbol on the ballot. He asserted that a BJP government would take action against those involved in such activities in the state.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said his party is not anyone’s “B-team” but the voice of the people, as he began his three-day visit to West Bengal from Raniganj in Paschim Bardhaman. Speaking to the media after offering prayers at a local shrine, Owaisi hit back at allegations of being aligned with either the BJP or the TMC, asserting that AIMIM represents public concerns independently.

TVK chief Vijay announced the introduction of a “Tamil Nadu Citizen Privilege Card” as part of his party’s governance agenda, aimed at ensuring delivery of welfare benefits without the need for applications or bribes. He said every family would be issued a card, similar to Aadhaar, containing complete data so that eligible benefits are automatically provided from birth. Vijay added that welfare schemes would reach people’s doorsteps through the use of artificial intelligence, asserting that the plan is scientifically feasible, while taking a swipe at Chief Minister MK Stalin.

BJP MP Manoj Tiwari asserted that the party will form the government in West Bengal, claiming it is receiving widespread support from the public across the state. He said it is crucial to “save Bengal”, alleging that the dignity of the state has been damaged by those currently in power, and expressed confidence that voters will back the BJP in the Assembly elections.

West Bengal Leader of Opposition and BJP candidate from Nandigram and Bhabanipur, Suvendu Adhikari, targeted Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, alleging that women are not safe and unemployment remains a major issue in the state. He further accused her of practising politics of appeasement and claimed that the public has made up its mind to vote for the BJP in the upcoming Assembly elections.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal visited the Sri Ranganatha Swamy Temple in Srirangam, Tiruchirappalli, during the early hours and offered prayers as part of the sacred Viswaroopa Darshan. The minister took part in the morning rituals and had darshan of Lord Ranganatha, seeking blessings, while temple authorities received him and facilitated the visit. Security was tightened in and around the temple premises for the visit, as large numbers of devotees gathered for the auspicious Viswaroopa Darshan, one of the first rituals performed at the temple each day.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the political mood in West Bengal is tilting in favour of the BJP, citing his recent interaction with party workers in Siliguri. In a post on X, PM Modi said he met local BJP karyakartas after a rally, where they spoke about the difficulties faced by common people under Mamata Banerjee-led TMC rule. He added that such grassroots interactions were inspiring and indicated that people are increasingly connecting with the BJP’s development agenda.

Senior Congress leader V D Satheesan has written to the EC urging it to immediately publish detailed polling data related to Kerala Assembly elections held on April 9.

In a letter addressed to the Chief Election Commissioner, he pointed out that despite three days having passed since polling concluded, the official and authenticated figures have not yet been made available on the Commission's website.