Assembly Elections 2026 LIVE: BJP wins in Bengal and Assam; DMK retains TN, Kerala goes to UDF

The exit poll results on Wednesday predicted a clear victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in West Bengal and Assam while giving a clear majority for the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala in a tough fight with the Left Democratic Front (LDF). The exit polls also predicted a massive victory for the MK Stalin-led Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu, according to Matrize. Click here to read more.

BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal said on Thursday that the saffron party is gaining an advantage in West Bengal and Puducherry. He also said that the BJP will form the government in Assam once again, while it will make significant breakthrough in Kerala. 

"Overall, if we analyse these trends, it can be clearly said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP has performed remarkably well in all five states. This also indicates that the people of the country have unwavering trust and confidence in his leadership," he said.

BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said that democracy has emerged stronger in the recent elections, claiming that polling was largely peaceful compared to earlier years in West Bengal. He said that in previous elections in West Bengal, violence was more common, but this time incidents were “negligible” and voting was conducted smoothly in most places.

BJP leader Ram Kripal Yadav said on Thursday that a change in West Bengal is certain, while predicting an NDA win in Assam. He said the BJP will form the government in West Bengal with a two-thirds majority, adding that people's mandate will be respected.

Likewise, the NDA comprising the AINRC and the BJP will return to power for a second straight term, while the Congress-led alliance will continue to stay out of the power, as per exit poll projections.  

According to the exit poll projections, the BJP-led NDA will return to power in Assam for a third straight term with a bigger mandate. The Congress-led alliance's tally may get further reduced. 

If the exit polls are to be believed, then Tamil Nadu will likely be retained by the DMK+ alliance comfortably. However, the AIADMK+ may improve its tally, while the TVK may play a spoilsport.

West Bengal saw an extensive campaign by the BJP which is looking to end TMC-s 15-year rule in the state. As per several exit polls, the BJP is likely to form a government in Bengal for the first time in this year's exit polls. However, many have still given an edge to the TMC.

In West Bengal, exit polls have given a fractured mandate, with some giving edge to the BJP, while some to the TMC. In Assam, however, the exit polls predicted an NDA win with a bigger mandate. Tamil Nadu and Kerala are likely to go with the DMK+ and the UDF, while Puducherry may be retained by the NDA, exit polls predicted.