Assembly Election 2026 Highlights: Congress, Left and TMC promote terrorism, BJP eliminates it, says Amit Shah

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As the West Bengal police have seized some of the Matri Shakti Bharosa Cards, an initiative by the BJP in West Bengal to provide direct financial assistance of Rs 3,000 per month to women, the Leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, said, "We are observing, some police are trying to save TMC, but we will take appropriate action, we will lodge complaint at election commission, a befitting reply will come."

(With inputs from PTI)

The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and DMK Supremo MK Stalin leads a mega rally in Salem.

From his rally in Cooch Behar, Union Home Minister Amit Shah slammed the Congress, Left, and the Trinamool Congress for promoting terrorism when in power. 

He also said that these parties ensure a bomb culture in states where they run the government. 

Meanwhile, he also said that the BJP eliminates terrorism every time it is voted to power.

(Inputs from ANI)

AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi hits out at the Trinamool Congress ahead of the polls in West Bengal. 

"If the BJP is strong in Bengal, then the TMC and Mamata Banerjee are responsible for that. The damage that the BJP and PM Narendra Modi do to India's Constitution and Muslims, especially the poor, is equally done by the TMC... In those blocks of Bengal where there are numerous Muslims, there are no schools, no hospitals, and if there is a hospital, there are no beds; if there are beds, there are no doctors. In those areas, people don't even get clean water, and farmers are not given any help.... Here, women are facing the biggest problems. Names of Muslims were struck off from the SIR list, and names of Hindus were also struck off. Tell me, isn't it Mamata Banerjee's responsibility that, since it's your government, you should have made every effort to ensure that everyone's name is on the SIR list? It's your government, you are the Chief Minister, power is in your hands. But Mamata Banerjee and the TMC only care about your votes. If your names are being struck off, then the responsibility also falls on the TMC... There is no difference between the TMC and BJP; in the true sense, they are brother and sister, fooling the people of Bengal," he said.

(ANI inputs)

The Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal state assembly and the BJP leader, Suvendu Adhikari, said that the culture of Urdu-Arabic imposition is dominant in the state, and as a result, the Bengali Hindus are finding it difficult to practise their culture and religion. 

(With inputs from ANI)

BJP leader Smriti Irani took a sharp jibe at the ruling Trinamool Congress over alleged unemployment and law and order breakdown in the state. 

She said that nearly 60% of the people who migrated to other states in search of jobs are youth and are hit by TMC's failure to ensure employment. She also added that the BJP has promised several measures to address the unemployment issue in the state. She also mentioned that the party would ensure several schemes for the upliftment of women. 

She also criticised the government for the alleged law and order breakdown in the state, referring to the gherao incident involving judicial officers.

Trinamool Congress MP Sayoni Ghosh took a jibe at the Union Home Minister Amit Shah as she urged Shah to stay in West Bengal on May 4 to witness the celebrations with green-coloured powder. She indicated that the ruling Trinamool Congress would ensure a victory in the upcoming assembly elections.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched a scathing attack on West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee for allegedly behaving step-motherly with North Bengal. 

Accusing the Trinamool Congress of minority appeasement, Shah said Mamata Banerjee gave Rs 5,700 crore for minority developments while just allocated Rs 1,200 crore for North Bengal.

(With PTI inputs)

PM Narendra Modi paid tribute to the floral statue of BR Ambedkar during his roadshow in Tamil Nadu's Kanyakumari. 

(With ANI inputs)

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday announced a black flag protest against the proposed delimitation exercise and called upon party cadres and the people across the poll-bound state to participate in the statewide demonstrations on Thursday.

The upcoming protest will coincide with the special three-day sitting of Parliament beginning Thursday to amend the Women's Reservation Act by implementing 33 per cent reservation for women by 2029, a move that will facilitate the delimitation of constituencies, potentially raising Lok Sabha seats to 850, based on the 2011 Census.

(with inputs from Apoorva)

A press note issued by the Election Commission of India states, “The Election Commission of India (ECI) has commenced the distribution of Voter Information Slips (VIS) for the general elections to the legislative assemblies of Tamil Nadu and West Bengal (Phase I), which will go to polls on April 23, 2026 (Thursday).”

(PTI inputs)

A day after alleging that central forces were targeting TMC leaders and attempting to search their cars, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress Supremo Mamata Banerjee claimed that the central forces tried to search her car as well while she was on her way to the airport. 

(PTI inputs)

From his mega poll rally in Jalpaiguri, Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched a scathing attack on the Trinamool Congress. 

"Will recover Rs 100 crore TMC stole from flood relief money sanctioned by the Centre for North Bengal,” Shah said. 

The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in poll-bound West Bengal engaged in an intense war of words over cultural identity on the occasion of Bengali New Year on Wednesday.

West Bengal minister Aroop Biswas led a vibrant procession, centred on the theme of 'Maach-Bhaat-e-Bangali' (Bengalis swear by fish and rice), in Kolkata, where he claimed that the BJP would impose curbs on fish and meat consumption if it comes to power in the state.

"In BJP-ruled states, fish is being thrown onto the streets and sellers are being harassed. No power can snatch 'Maach-Bhaat' from the plate of Bengalis. We have joined this protest to protect our heritage," Biswas asserted.

Meanwhile, Kaustav Bagchi, the BJP's candidate from Barrackpore for the upcoming Assembly polls, also campaigned holding a fish to counter Trinamool's narrative. According to news agency PTI, he said, "Bangali with maach-bhaate aar shathe BJP (Bengalis with fish and rice, and now also with BJP)."

(With inputs from PTI)

The Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly and BJP's candidate from the Bhabanipur and Nandigram seats for the upcoming Assembly polls in the state, Suvendu Adhikari, slams the ruling Trinamool Congress, branding its cadre and leaders as "corrupt brokers."

"The public is ready... These people (the TMC) are corrupt brokers who are here to rob Bengal... We are celebrating Bengali New year today. Mamata Banerjee is not celebrating it," he said in a video byte shared on X by ANI.

(With agency inputs)

BJP leader K Annamalai has exuded confidence in the NDA's prospects in the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly polls, saying the coalition will win the elections with a huge mandate.

"We are confident in Coimbatore and across Tamil Nadu, this time NDA will come to power with a huge mandate. People of Tamil Nadu want change. They want DMK to get out of the government. Across all the places we are campaigning, the response is massive. This time, we expect Edappadi K Palaniswami to become the chief minister of Tamil Nadu with a very huge mandate," he said in a video byte shared on X by ANI.

(With agency inputs)

Trinamool Congress leader Kirti Azad on Wednesday slammed the BJP-led central government over the proposed delimitation exercise, saying the timing of the efforts to amend the Women's Reservation Act is a "game of dirty politics."

"The census was to be held in 2026. Delimitation was to follow the census. The Women's Reservation Bill was already passed unanimously in 2023. At this time, elections are underway in many states... many MPs are busy, so was there such urgency? This is just a game of dirty politics," he said in a video byte shared by news agency ANI on X.

(With agency inputs)

Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister and DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin on Tuesday, April 14, said that the upcoming Assembly polls in the state will be a battle between "Dehli and Tamil Nadu".

Addressing an election campaign in Tirunelveli district, he said "The captain for Delhi is (PM Narendra) Modi and in Tamil Nadu it is (MK) Stalin, and therefore, it is an electoral between the two.

(With agency inputs)

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin has warned of massive agitations bringing the state to a standstill and "protests with full force," if anything was done harming the state or if the political power of northern states was disproportionately increased in the proposed delimitation exercise.

Addressing election rallies on Tuesday, the DMK chief alleged that the draft bill on women's reservation law, which hinges on the BJP-led Centre's proposed delimitation for implementation, showed that it was a "conspiracy" that would increase the gap between Tamil Nadu and the northern states, when delimitation was implemented.

(With PTI inputs)