Priyanka Gandhi Vadra alleges elections schedule tailored for BJP

New Delhi: Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday said that the election schedule for Assembly polls in four States and one Union Territory has been made according to the convenience of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP).

"I feel the dates which are announced, and phases which are decided in elections are done as per the convenience of the BJP," the Congress Lok Sabha MP representing Wayanad constituency in Kerala said.

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The dates for the 2026 Assembly polls in Kerala and three more states-West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Assam and the UT of Puducherry was announced by the Election Commission yesterday.

Addressing a press conference in the national capital on Sunday, the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar described the assembly polls a "festival of pride" and urged first-time voters to participate enthusiastically.

Special intensive revision of the voters' lists in these four states and one union territory has already been conducted, with final electoral rolls published.

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Polling in West Bengal will be conducted in two phases on April 23 and April 29. Kerala and Assam will vote in a single phase on April 9, while Tamil Nadu will go to the polls on April 23. Voting in Puducherry will also take place on April 9. The counting of votes for all four states and Puducherry will be held on May 4, the ECI announced.

The terms of the current assemblies are set to end on different dates: May 7 in West Bengal, May 10 in Tamil Nadu, May 20 in Assam, May 23 in Kerala, and June 15 in Puducherry.