Assembly Elections 2026: Counting of votes in 5 states including Bengal, Assam and Tamil Nadu today, tight security arrangements

New Delhi/Kolkata. Counting of votes will take place on Monday after a thrilling contest during the assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala, Puducherry and West Bengal. The results of the vote counting will be important for key ruling regional parties like Trinamool Congress and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) as well as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress and the Left. The counting process will begin at 8 am with postal ballots, for which counting centers with three-tier security arrangements have been set up.

Election Commission has for the first time launched QR code based photo identity card system through ECINET to prevent unauthorized entry into counting centres. Votes will be counted at 77 centers for 293 assembly seats in West Bengal, where unprecedented security arrangements have been made this time. Ahead of the counting day, both the ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition BJP in the state have expressed fears of vote manipulation. The two-phase elections in the state ended on April 29, with 92.47 per cent voting being the highest since independence.

Elections in Falta – a constituency in South 24 Parganas district – were canceled due to “serious electoral irregularities” and fresh elections will be held there on May 21. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress is hoping to come to power for the fourth consecutive time in the face of a tough challenge from the main opposition BJP, while the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and Congress are trying to improve their position after their crushing defeat in the 2021 elections.

Smaller parties like Humayun Kabir’s Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) and Asaduddin Owaisi’s All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) are also trying their luck in some important constituencies. The Election Commission has reduced the number of counting centers this year from the previously announced 87 to 77, whereas in 2021 the number was 108. Along with this, multi-level security system has also been implemented.

A senior Election Commission official said, “Elaborate security arrangements have been made to ensure that the counting of votes is conducted in a peaceful, transparent and orderly manner.” The Election Commission has deployed 165 additional counting observers and 77 police observers. Strict control measures have been implemented at counting centres, including a ban on mobile phones for all except returning officers and observers.

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is hoping to form the government in Assam for the third consecutive time. Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), containing the electoral fate of 722 candidates from 126 assembly seats in the state, will be opened at 40 counting centers in 35 districts.

Twenty-five companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) (about 100 personnel each) have been deployed to protect the counting centers and strongrooms housing electronic voting machines (EVMs), officials said. Officials said two additional companies of CAPFs will be kept on static duty, while 93 companies of the state armed police have been deployed in the districts.

Voting in the state was held on April 9, with 85.96 percent voting. Of the 722 candidates in the state, Congress has the highest number of 99 candidates, followed by BJP 90, All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) 30, NDA ally Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) 26 and Bodo People’s Front (BPF) 11.

In the opposition alliance, Raijor Dal contested on 13 seats, Assam Jatiya Parishad on 10 seats, CPI(M) on three seats and All Party Hill Leaders Conference on two seats. Prominent candidates include BJP Chief Minister Himanta Vishwa Sharma, Congress state unit chief Gaurav Gogoi, Assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary and Raijor Dal chief and MP Akhil Gogoi.

In Kerala, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), buoyed by its performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the recently held local body elections, is hoping to oust the Left Democratic Front (LDF), which has been in power for two terms. The BJP-led NDA is trying to strengthen its hold in the state with bipolar politics.

With the defeat of the LDF, it will be the first time since the 1960s that left parties will not be in power in any Indian state. A total of 883 candidates contested the elections for 140 seats in the state. 140 counting centers have been set up at 43 locations. Officials said 15,464 personnel have been deployed for the task, including 140 returning officers, 1,340 additional returning officers, 4,208 micro observers, 4,208 counting observers and 5,563 counting assistants.

25 companies of central forces along with state police personnel have been deployed to protect the counting centres. The BJP-led NDA, though not in the race to form the government, is considering this election as important to increase its influence in Kerala after failing to win a single seat in 2021.

The ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu is contesting the elections in a changed political scenario where apart from its main rival All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), new parties like actor-politician Vijay-led Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) and Seeman’s NTK are also in the fray.

DMK is hoping to come to power in the state for the second consecutive time. Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik said all arrangements, including a comprehensive three-tier security plan, have been completed for the counting of votes to be held on May 4 at 62 designated counting centers across the state.

Around 1.25 lakh personnel, including officers and micro observers and police, have been deployed on counting duty. 234 counting halls have been arranged for EVMs. An additional 240 halls have been earmarked for counting of postal ballots and electronically sent postal ballots (ETPB).

A total of 10,545 counting personnel have been deployed for the counting work, who are supported by 4,624 micro observers. The Election Commission has appointed a total of 234 counting observers for each assembly constituency to monitor the counting process. Six counting centers have been set up in the Union Territory of Puducherry.

All India NR The NDA, comprising Congress (AINRC), BJP, AIADMK and LJK, is being challenged by the ‘India’ alliance comprising Congress, DMK and VCK. Counting of votes will also be held on eight seats in Goa, Karnataka, Nagaland, Gujarat and Maharashtra, where by-elections were held last month after the demise of sitting MLAs. The eight constituencies are: Ponda in Goa, Bagalkot and Davangere South in Karnataka, Koridang in Nagaland, Dharmanagar in Tripura, Umreth in Gujarat and Rahuri and Baramati in Maharashtra.