The Hindu reports: Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Kerala head into government formation mode, as the electorates in these States have delivered a politically transformative mandate. Three incumbent Chief Ministers -- Mamata Banerjee (West Bengal), M.K. Stalin (Tamil Nadu) and Pinarayi Vijayan (Kerala) -- are on their way out, with Ms.
Banerjee also losing the poll battle against BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari in the Bhabanipur Assembly seat in Kolkata. Also read | The significant erasure of democracy in Bengal The BJP is set to form its first government in West Bengal with a landslide victory on Monday (May 4, 2026). The latest electoral cycle also saw a spectacular debut in Tamil Nadu by actor-politician Vijay’s TVK with 108 wins out of 234 seats to emerge as the single-largest party, along with a wipeout of the Left as it tasted defeat in its last bastion of a Kerala, and a solitary win there for the Congress, which has been battling diminishing electoral returns.
Background
Also read | Governance is the ultimate currency in Kerala The saffron party has retained Assam for a third term, while it will be part of incumbent NDA government in Puducherry that saw its re-election on Moday (May 4, 2026). Kerala’s outgoing Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was seen leaving his residence in Kannur, as he heads to Thiruvananthapuram. Visuals from Chennai show that heavy security has been deployed outside the TVK office The ball set rolling by the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) with four bypoll wins since 2021, followed by a stellar showing in the Lok Sabha elections in 2024, and the local body polls last December has catapulted the alliance back to the treasury benches of the State Assembly from a decade-long political wilderness.
Key facts
- Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Kerala head into government formation mode, as the electorates in these States have delivered a politically transformative mandate.
- Three incumbent Chief Ministers -- Mamata Banerjee (West Bengal), M.K.
- Stalin (Tamil Nadu) and Pinarayi Vijayan (Kerala) -- are on their way out, with Ms.
What this means
UDF's massive win in Kerala's 2026 Assembly polls is fueled by anti-Left sentiment and strategic teamwork against the LDF. The victory of the Congress-led United Democratic Front is matched in intensity and depth by the defeat of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front in Kerala. The winners have an immediate lesson to draw from the loser: that Kerala is characteristically disapproving of an über-leader who outshines his own party and keeps the spotlight firmly on himself.
The outgoing Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had made this election all about himself. The tagline of the LDF campaign was “Who Else, but LDF,” with Mr. Vijayan as its sole face, looming in imposingly large hoardings across the State.
Originally reported by The Hindu. This story has been edited and re-presented by BRIC Team.
