The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday announced the schedule for Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and the Union Territory of Puducherry, along with by-elections to several Assembly constituencies across the country.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar announced the poll schedule at a press conference, stating that Assam and Kerala will vote in a single phase on April 9, while Puducherry will also go to the polls on the same day. Tamil Nadu's 234 constituencies will vote in a single phase on April 23.
For the 294-member West Bengal Assembly, polling will be conducted in two phases — 152 constituencies on April 23 and the remaining 142 on April 29. The counting of votes for all the Assembly elections will take place on May 4.
The Election Commission also announced by-elections to eight Assembly constituencies across Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Nagaland, and Tripura. Among them, bypolls will be held in Dharmanagar Assembly constituency in Tripura and Koridang Assembly constituency in Nagaland, the latter reserved for Scheduled Tribes.
Polling for these two constituencies will be held on April 9, while the results will be declared on May 4.
The bypoll in Dharmanagar Assembly constituency in North Tripura district became necessary following the death of veteran legislator and Tripura Assembly Speaker Biswa Bandhu Sen. Sen, 72, passed away at a private hospital in Bengaluru on December 26, 2025, after undergoing medical treatment for more than four-and-a-half months.
He was elected to the Tripura Assembly four times — twice from Dharmanagar on a Indian National Congress ticket in 2008 and 2013, and later in 2018 and 2023 as a nominee of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The main Opposition Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Front has nominated former MLA Amitabha Datta as its candidate for the Dharmanagar bypoll, while the BJP and other parties are yet to announce their nominees.
Meanwhile, the by-election in Koridang Assembly constituency in Nagaland was necessitated following the death of veteran Naga leader Imkong L. Imchen, who passed away at a private hospital in Guwahati on November 11, 2024, after a brief illness.
Imchen, 75, was elected to the Nagaland Legislative Assembly five times from the Koridang constituency — first as an Independent in 2003, then on Naga People's Front tickets in 2008, 2013 and 2018, before winning on a BJP ticket in 2023.
The CEC also appealed to voters, especially first-time voters, to actively participate in the democratic process.
"You are about to step into one of the most important roles of life. I urge you to participate in this democratic exercise and cast your vote," Kumar said.
Calling elections the "festival of democracy", he added: "Chunaav ka parv, hum sabka garv."
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