Campaigning for the Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu and across 152 constituencies in West Bengal concluded on Tuesday, with the mandatory 48-hour silence period coming into effect at 6 pm.
Tamil Nadu will go to the polls in a single phase across all 234 constituencies on Thursday, April 23. On the same day, West Bengal will witness voting in Phase 1 of its Assembly elections, covering 152 constituencies spread across 16 districts out of a total 294 seats. The second phase in the state is scheduled for April 29.
Polling in both states will begin at 7 am and continue till 6 pm. Counting of votes for these elections, along with those in Kerala, Assam and Puducherry—which voted on April 9—will take place on May 4, 2026.
According to the Election Commission of India’s Model Code of Conduct, all campaign-related activities, including public meetings and election functions, must stop 48 hours before polling ends.
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In a notification issued earlier, the Commission cited Section 126(1)(b) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which prohibits displaying election-related content through television or similar means in polling areas during the silence period.
Additionally, under Section 126A of the same Act, the Commission has banned the conduct and dissemination of exit polls through print or electronic media from 7 am on April 9—when polling began in Assam, Kerala and Puducherry—until 6.30 pm on April 29, when the final phase of polling in West Bengal concludes.
In West Bengal, the main political players include the All India Trinamool Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party, Indian National Congress and Communist Party of India (Marxist), with the BJP mounting a strong challenge to the ruling TMC.
In Tamil Nadu, the contest is primarily between the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the BJP along with their allies, with more than 4,000 candidates in the fray. The entry of actor Vijay’s party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, has added further interest to the contest.
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