The AINRC-led NDA has won the Puducherry Assembly elections and is set to form the government. Chief Minister N Rangasamy won both seats he contested.
Its strength is set to increase by 3 seats once the current round of Rajya Sabha polls for 27 seats are concluded on June 28.
Opposition NDA legislators in Jharkhand have been moved to a hotel ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections for two seats. The BJP-backed independent candidate, Parimal Nathwani, faces a challenge as the NDA lacks the required numbers, necessitating potential cross-voting for victory.
Amid cross-voting, National Democratic Alliance-supported Independent candidate Parimal Nathwani on Thursday won one of the two Rajya Sabha seats in Jharkhand, defeating the Congress's Pranav Jha, an official said.
Himanta Biswa Sarma has been elected as the leader of the BJP-led NDA in the Assam assembly, paving the way for his second consecutive term as chief minister. The NDA secured a two-thirds majority in the recent assembly polls, with the BJP winning 82 seats and its allies AGP and BPF securing 10 seats each.
NDA partner Bodoland People's Front (BPF) is expected to secure a majority of the 15 Assembly seats in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) of Assam, leading in 10 constituencies, according to Election Commission data. The BJP, a major partner in the ruling NDA, leads in three seats, while the UPPL and Congress are ahead in one seat each.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed BJP workers after the party's performance in assembly elections, urging an end to political violence in West Bengal and a focus on the state's future.
In the Opposition camp, the Congress, which contested 99 seats, won 19 constituencies, while the Badruddin Ajmal-led AIUDF and Akhil Gogoi-led Raijor Dal secured two seats each, and the Trinamool Congress bagged one constituency.
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is set to hold a crucial meeting to celebrate Prime Minister Narendra Modi becoming India's longest continuously serving elected prime minister, surpassing Jawaharlal Nehru's record of 4,399 days.
"2005 se lekar aaj tak... logon ne dekha hai kaun sarkar chalata hai aur kaun sirf hawa banata hai, (From 2005 till today, people know who actually governs and who just makes noise)," said Ramesh Yadav, a booth worker from Nalanda who claimed he had attended every JD-U celebration since Nitish's debut win.
The Opposition had the numbers to win one Rajya Sabha seat from Bihar. As it turned out, four MLAs skipped the voting, helping the NDA to sweep the polls.
Following their success in the West Bengal assembly elections, BJP leaders are now focusing on winning the Punjab assembly polls in 2027, promising to rid the state of corruption and drugs under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Kerala is set to hold its Assembly election, with the ruling LDF aiming for a historic third term, the UDF seeking a comeback, and the NDA striving to gain a foothold in the state's political landscape.
IUML leader Sayyid Munavvar Ali Shihab Thangal stated that while the party deserves the deputy chief minister's post, it would not stake a claim for it if the UDF comes to power in Kerala. He also denied allegations of IUML candidates seeking votes on religious lines.
Shiv Sena-UBT leader Sanjay Raut has made explosive claims of a Rs 25 crore deal for dissident MPs who miss out on Union ministerial berths, highlighting growing rifts within Maharashtra's political landscape. Six Sena-UBT MPs are expected to join the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, with Aaditya Thackeray calling them 'shameless, ungrateful and corrupt'.
The Congress party has launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him a 'millstone' around India's neck and accusing him of presiding over the 'murder of democracy', even as he achieved the milestone of becoming India's longest continuously serving elected prime minister.
The ruling NDA alliance has secured a majority in the Rajya Sabha elections, winning key seats in Bihar, Odisha, and Haryana, while other candidates were elected unopposed across multiple states. The elections were marked by cross-voting allegations and political maneuvering.
Himanta Biswa Sarma was sworn in as the chief minister of Assam for a second consecutive term, along with four other ministers, marking the formation of the third successive NDA government in the state.
In Puducherry, where constituencies have fewer than 30,000 electors on average, it is usual for N Rangaswamy to call out people he knows by name during his roadside election meetings.
Following their landslide victory in the Bihar assembly polls, NDA leaders have begun discussions on forming a new government. Key coalition partners visited Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's residence, expressing support for his continued leadership. The article also touches on political developments within the RJD and reactions to the election results.
The BJP team under the new national president Nitin Nabin, who took charge in January, is expected to be announced within this month, with sources suggesting that some holding positions in the government may move to the party.
The 2026 election appears to have reinforced a new political formula in Assam: Strong organisation, continuous grassroots engagement, effective alliance management and welfare-based voter outreach.
The delimitation of constituencies, which aimed to reduce the influence of minority candidates, is a significant factor in the NDA's strong performance in the Assam elections, where they secured a record 102 seats. The 2023 delimitation exercise redrew constituencies, reserving some Muslim-majority seats for indigenous communities, which increased the BJP and its allies' seat count.
Exit polls predict a BJP victory in Assam and an edge in West Bengal, a DMK government in Tamil Nadu, and a Congress-led UDF comeback in Kerala.
Few leaders since Independence have been able to establish such a direct connection with the electorate or shape the national conversation to the extent that Narendra Modi has done over the past decade, points out former Union minister Dr Karan Singh.
Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi stated that the armed forces are fully prepared for 'Operation Sindoor 2.0' if the need arises, emphasising enhanced synergy across all three services for modern multi-domain warfare.
Political parties in Kerala, including the ruling LDF, opposition UDF, and BJP-led NDA, have reacted to the exit poll predictions for the Assembly elections, with varying degrees of confidence and skepticism.
With Uttar Pradesh assembly elections approaching, an analyst suggests the BJP is in a strong position. Meanwhile, Punjab's political landscape is described as fluid with mixed public satisfaction towards the ruling AAP.
In apparent signs of thaw after years of bickering stemming out of internal feud in the AIADMK in the past, party chief Edappadi K Palaniswami welcomed Dhinakaran back in to the National Democratic Alliance. The AMMK founder reciprocated with a "heartfelt thanks," yet admitting there was "sibling rivalry" with AIADMK, the party he was once associated with.
Political parties in Kerala are making preparations for celebrations as the Assembly election results are set to be announced. Congress and UDF workers are preparing food and cultural programmes, while the BJP is also planning celebrations with laddoos and placards.
A review of the accuracy of various exit polls in predicting the outcomes of recent assembly elections in West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, and Tamil Nadu, highlighting the performance of different pollsters.
'Women from all castes and religions voted for Nitish Kumar as it was his last election.'
Himanta Biswa Sarma's return as Assam's Chief Minister underscores the BJP's increasing dominance in the northeast, marked by both development and divisive policies.
West Bengal's chief minister-elect Suvendu Adhikari announced the beginning of 'Sonar Bangla' with the formation of the first BJP government in the state, heralding an era of 'peace and prosperity'. The oath-taking ceremony, attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other prominent figures, marks a significant political shift for West Bengal.
Suvendu Adhikari has been elected as the leader of the BJP legislature party in West Bengal, paving the way for him to become the state's first BJP chief minister.
The National Democratic Alliance was set to sweep the Bihar assembly polls, surging ahead in over 200 of 243 seats on Friday with the Bharatiya Janata Party emerging as single largest party with about 90 per cent strike rate, reaffirming the popularity and campaign clout of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was the face of the ruling alliance through the poll battle in the highly sensitive political state.
Virtually conceding the defeat, Fadnavis stated they will introspect and recover the loss in the upcoming assembly elections.
'Look at the way SIR that was implemented in Bengal. They wanted to entirely curate the voter list in order to suit their purposes and victory.' 'Look at the targeted deletions and the targeted voting list.' 'The difference between the TMC and the BJP was only about 4% but that 4% vote was done so selectively that the difference ultimately showed up as 100 seats!'
'Jan Suraaj Party was the BJP's 'B' team. It is proven now.' 'You have seen their performance and it proves that they only worked to dent Opposition votes by working for the BJP.'
'...especially pressure on the rupee, the current account deficit, and foreign exchange outflows.' 'The key question over the next several months is whether the government can prevent external turbulence from feeding into domestic economic pessimism.'
