The people of at least one State will heave a sigh of relief now that the schedule for five Assembly elections — all in April — has been announced. The elections in West Bengal will be held in two phases, unlike the eight in 2021. That said, these elections are the second set of polls being held in States/Union Territories (UT) where the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process has been completed. Here, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is less of a force and the elections will be decided based on the performance of State governments and local/regional variables. In Assam, the contest is between the two fronts led by the national parties, the ruling BJP and the Congress.

Source: The Hindu March 16, 2026 22:21 UTC