Kerala Assembly Election 2026: A video from the headquarters of the State Congress Committee in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala is going viral on social media. In this, a senior leader Cherian Philip had to face embarrassment during the legislative party meeting when he tried to hug elected MLA Bindu Krishna without permission. During this time, Congress woman MLA Bindu appeared quite hesitant, she became completely uncomfortable.

This is such an incident, which also attracted the attention of party leaders and journalists. They were all present there. The video is being shared widely on social media. Also, sharp reactions are being seen against Congress leader Cherian Philip.

Incident at the entry gate of Congress state office

It can be seen in the video that 48 year old Bindu Krishna reached the venue. The party moved towards the entry gate of the office. Then the media people greeted him. Bindu was wearing a white and yellow saree. She was shaking hands with party workers. After this she reached 71 year old Cherian Philip.

Awkward moment at the KPCC meeting in Thiruvananthapuram as senior #Kerala #Congress leader Cherian Philip allegedly attempting to hug newly elected Kollam MLA Bindu Krishna even as she appeared uncomfortable and tried to move away. #Kerala pic.twitter.com/JcQqcjsUzS

— Ashish (@KP_Aashish) May 7, 2026

Bindu came forward to shake hands and Philip started hugging her. He was seen putting his arm around Krishna’s neck. During this Bindu lowered his hand. She looked uncomfortable during this time. He was seen pushing Philip back. During this time Philip tried the same thing again for the second time. After this Bindu folded her hands and moved ahead.

Also read: Results of these by-elections released in UP, BJP candidate gave a crushing defeat to SP

Strong reaction to the video on social media

During this time many journalists and party workers were also present on the spot. There is a strong reaction to this incident on social media. Many people accused Philip of ignoring Bindu Krishna’s discomfort. Many users have said that personal boundaries should be respected immediately. At present, no clear statement has come from both the leaders.

Also read: Unique trend seen in BJP’s historic victory in Bengal and Assam, party’s excellent performance on SC-ST reserved seats.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has spoken openly about the performance of Congress on the election results of four states and one union territory of the country. He said that Congress should now seriously assess itself. According to him, the party has already talked about introspection, but now after the results there is a need to take it more seriously.

Giving the example of Kerala, Tharoor said that Congress has performed well there, so it is important to understand what went right there and how the same model can be implemented in other states. He said that this is a big lesson for Congress, which should be learned and future strategy should be made.

Also read: Bengal Election Result 2026: Who are those 2 Muslim leaders, who waved the flag even in the wave of BJP, saved Congress from drowning in Bengal?

There is also talk of BJP’s election work

Along with this, he also talked about the election work of BJP. Tharoor said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have done good work in Bengal and Assam. According to him, BJP conducts elections in a very professional manner, their organizational strength is strong and they use ample resources, including money, in their campaign. He also said that other parties need to learn from these things. However, in the end he expressed hope that BJP’s message should be one that unites the people of the country and not divides them. Let us tell you that BJP has succeeded in winning in Bengal, Assam and Puducherry. Whereas Congress in Kerala and Vijay’s TVK in Tamil Nadu have registered a spectacular victory.

Also read: Bengal BJP CM: Who will BJP make the Chief Minister in Bengal? These names including Shubhendu Adhikari are leading in the race

Voting for the ongoing assembly elections 2026 in the country’s two states Assam, Kerala and also the Union Territory Puducherry has stopped till 6 pm on 9th April 2026 i.e. Thursday. Now the fate of many scoundrels has been sealed in the voter box. Election Commission has started sealing EVMs and VVPATs. According to the Election Commission, till 5 pm, 84.42% voting took place in Assam, 75.01% in Kerala and 86.92% in Puducherry.

CM Rangaswamy cast his vote in Puducherry, Defense Minister AK Antony cast his vote in Kerala. Apart from this, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma worshiped at Kamakhya temple and also cast his vote in Jalukbari with his wife. Now everyone is waiting for May 4, when the election results of these states will be revealed.

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said that a big statement has been given regarding the 2026 assembly elections. He said that the assembly elections held in Assam, Kerala and Puducherry are a historic example for democracy not only in India but for the entire world. On behalf of the Election Commission of India, he congratulated all the voters of these states for this achievement and said that this is a great demonstration of democratic participation. Mentioning “festival of elections, pride of voter” in its message, CEC praised the active participation of citizens and their dedication towards democracy.

Keep an eye on these seats of Assam

If we talk about Assam, there are 3 big seats on which everyone’s eyes are. The first popular seat among these Jalukbari Assembly Is. BJP candidate and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is in the election fray from here. Bidisha Neog has fielded against him from Congress. Himanta has been winning elections from here for five consecutive times. This is considered the stronghold of BJP.

Dispur BJP candidate Pradyut Bordoloi is in the electoral fray. From here, Congress has fielded Meira Borthathakur. This has been a traditional seat of Congress, but at present BJP has dominance.

Assam’s third seat Jorhat But everyone’s eyes are on it. Hitendra Nath Goswami is contesting elections from BJP from here. So Gaurav Gogoi is contesting from Congress. Gogoi is contesting the assembly elections for the first time.

Keep an eye on these seats of Kerala

There are two big seats in Kerala on which everyone’s eyes are. nemom seat BJP candidate Rajeev Chandrashekhar is in the election fray. V. Shivankutty is contesting against him from CPIM.

Dharamdam seat BJP’s CK Padmanabhan is in the election fray. CPIM candidate Pinarayi Vijayan is in the election fray.

Will BJP be able to repeat its coalition government in Puducherry?

If we talk about Puducherry, there are 30 assembly seats here. Here 294 candidates from 20 parties are in the electoral fray. Everyone’s fate is sealed in EVMs and VVPATs. The politics of Puducherry has always been one of coalition. Here sometimes BJP was dominant and sometimes Congress maintained its dominance. At present there is a coalition government between BJP and AINRC. He has a total of 16 seats. It will be interesting to see whether this time the BJP alliance will be able to repeat its victory in this election.

Also read: 62 year old man stood in line to cast his vote in Thrissur for one and a half hour, died while voting

Voting is going on for 140 assembly seats in Kerala. Meanwhile, a tragic incident has come to light on the day of voting from Vaniyampara in Thrissur district of Kerala. Here, a 62-year-old elderly man’s health deteriorated immediately after casting his vote and he later died. According to the police, the deceased has been identified as Vinodan, who was a resident of Ramanchira near Vaniyampara. He had reached EKM UP School in Vaniyampara on Thursday morning to cast his vote.

According to the information, Vinodan stood in the queue for more than an hour. After this he exercised his franchise. But while coming out of the polling station at around 10.45 in the morning, he suddenly fell unconscious. The people present at the spot immediately tried to help him and made him sit on a chair, but his condition continued to deteriorate. Within some time, the ambulance reached the spot and he was taken to the nearest government hospital.

Doctors declared him dead

On reaching the hospital, doctors declared him dead. There is an atmosphere of mourning in the area after this incident. Police said that necessary action will be taken in the matter and investigation into the incident has been started so that the exact cause of death can be known. This incident also shows the circumstances faced on the day of voting, where long queues and physical discomfort can become a risk for some people.

The contest in Kerala elections is very interesting

This time the contest in the Kerala Assembly elections has become very interesting. A total of 883 candidates are in the fray in the state, which means on an average six to seven candidates are trying their luck on each seat. It is clear from this that competition in elections has increased considerably. However, the situation has become more complicated on many seats, because rebels and independent candidates are also contesting in large numbers. Because of these, the contest has become multi-cornered in many constituencies, where it is not easy to predict the result. Talking about voters, there are about 27 lakh voters in the state, who will exercise their franchise at more than 30,000 polling stations. The Election Commission has made extensive preparations for voting on such a large scale, so that the process can be completed in a peaceful and orderly manner.

Also read: Assembly Election 2026 Live: Congress claimed victory in Kerala, gave a big statement on who will be the CM

Kerala Assembly Polls 2026: Just before the Kerala Assembly elections, the political temperature is at its peak. Congress leader VD Satheesan has released an alleged video and made a serious allegation that BJP workers are distributing money in exchange for votes. He claimed that it is clearly visible in the video that money is being given to an elderly woman and all this is happening in the presence of the party candidate.

Satheesan also said that this is not limited to just one seat, but efforts are being made to distribute money and sarees to women in many constituencies. He alleged that ‘this is happening for the first time in Kerala and BJP is implementing a new system to influence the voters.’ According to him, this is a serious attempt to influence the democratic process, which cannot be ignored.

#WATCH | Ernakulam | Ahead of Keralam Assembly elections tomorrow, Congress leader VD Satheesan says, “We have released a video, in the visuals it is very clear that BJP workers are giving money to an old lady for votes, in the presence of the BJP candidate. They have been doing… pic.twitter.com/EEvGnG5av1

— ANI (@ANI) April 8, 2026

Congress has demanded immediate intervention from the Election Commission on this issue. Satheesan warned that if the authorities concerned did not take action, the party would take legal action. He said that such activities just before the elections are a clear violation of the election code of conduct.

Alappuzha Congress MP KC Venugopal also described the allegations of money distribution in Palakkad as “shocking”. He said that there are clear indications in media reports and videos that the role of the candidate is suspicious. He demanded immediate and strict action from the Election Commission, so that the fairness of the elections is maintained.

#WATCH | Alappuzha, Keralam: Congress MP KC Venugopal says, “There are shocking media reports that money had been distributed in Palakkad in favor of the BJP candidate. Also, most shocking is that the BJP candidate herself is involved in all these things. That is what the video… pic.twitter.com/FeyzaOyOGz

— ANI (@ANI) April 8, 2026

Victory is certain in Palakkad, Congress-LDF’s allegations are false: BJP’s counterattack

S Suresh has completely rejected the allegations of Congress and LDF and claimed BJP’s victory in Palakkad. He said that ‘the people of Palakkad have decided that BJP will become MLA from here, due to this fear Congress is giving misleading statements.’

On the allegations of distributing money to women, he said that these are ‘not serious allegations’ and the woman concerned herself has clarified that BJP did not give any money. He alleged that Congress and LDF are spreading lies due to fear of defeat. Taking the name of Sobha Surendran, he said that the public is going to elect her as MLA. BJP expressed confidence that this time victory is certain in Palakkad.

#WATCH | Thiruvananthapuram, Keralam | On Congress alleging BJP of giving money to women voters in Palakkad, State BJP General Secretary S Suresh says, “These are not serious allegations. The woman has made it clear that the BJP has not given any money. But some people from… pic.twitter.com/aJWuqCZjPt

— ANI (@ANI) April 8, 2026

Left also accused
Here, Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkoothil also gave a strong message. He said, “You can spread your ideology, but money cannot buy even a single vote in Palakkad.” Referring to recent incidents, he said that a close associate of a candidate was caught by the public while distributing money, which is highly objectionable.

Apart from this, Congress has also raised questions on the arrangements of the Election Commission. Satheesan said that due to non-availability of postal ballot facility, the officers on duty had to face a lot of problems. He alleged that many officials reached the polling stations, but there was no arrangement for ballot there.

#WATCH | Adoor, Keralam: On State Assembly Elections, Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil says, “… You may spread your ideology, but you cannot buy a single vote in Palakkad with money. Recently, a candidate and her close aide were accused of distributing cash for votes. One aide,… pic.twitter.com/ZThRY68SkY

— ANI (@ANI) April 8, 2026

Also read: Bengal Election 2026: Three candidates named Krishnendu are contesting on one seat, the political fight on this seat is interesting.

The noise of campaigning for the assembly elections in Assam, Kerala and Union Territory Puducherry has now stopped completely. Voting will be held in a single phase at these three places on April 9. According to the Election Commission, voting will be held simultaneously for 126 assembly seats in Assam, 140 in Kerala and 30 in Puducherry. With this the fate of the candidates will be captured in EVMs.

See each seat update here

Every update of the elections to be held in these states can be seen live on ABP News. ABP website https://www.abplive.com on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyd-xznCpJc By clicking on this you can know the latest updates of Assam, Kerala and Puducherry elections.

How many voters will vote in Assam?

Talking about Assam, there are a total of 2.5 crore voters here, which include 1.25 crore men, 1.25 crore women and 343 third gender voters. The special thing is that about 5.75 lakh youth in the age group of 18-19 years will use their franchise for the first time. 722 candidates are in the fray for 126 seats in Assam and the majority figure here is 64. The tenure of the 15th Assembly of the state ends on 20 May 2026.

833 candidates for 140 seats in Kerala

There are 833 candidates in the fray for 140 seats in Kerala. Here a triangular contest is being seen between the main political parties. A majority of 71 seats is necessary to form the government. There are a total of 2.71 crore voters in the state, which includes 1.32 crore men, 1.39 crore women and 273 third gender voters. Elections are being held on 30 seats in Puducherry, out of which 5 seats are reserved for Scheduled Castes. To form the government here, majority of 16 seats is necessary. Of the total 9.44 lakh voters, about 4.43 lakh are men, 5 lakh are women and 139 third gender voters.

According to Election Commission data, a large number of candidates had filed nominations during the nomination process. In Assam, 1,388 nominations were filed, of which there were 817 candidates. In Kerala, 1,252 candidates had applied with 2,117 nominations and in Puducherry, 442 candidates had applied with 514 nominations. A total of 4,019 nominations were filed, which included 2,511 candidates.

Also read: West Bengal Election 2026: ‘Go away from here…’, heated debate between CEC and TMC delegation, Election Commission’s strict stance after the meeting

Campaigning for assembly elections is in full swing in 5 states. Amidst the election mode, uproar has started regarding the statements of the leaders. The latest case is related to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. BJP has accused Kharge of insulting the people of Gujarat and other states of North India by calling them ‘uneducated’. BJP accused Congress of practicing “divide and rule” politics before the assembly elections.

What did Kharge say?

Actually, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had arrived on Sunday (April 5) to campaign for the Kerala Assembly elections. During this, in his speech he described the people of Gujarat as ‘uneducated’ and said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is ‘fooling’ them. Kharge also said that neither Modi nor Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan can fool the people of Kerala as they are “very smart and educated”.

The Congress President said, ‘Do not mislead the people of Kerala. They are very smart and educated. Modi ji, Vijayan, both of you can fool the uneducated people of Gujarat or other places, but you cannot fool the people of Kerala.

BJP’s strong counterattack

BJP has given a befitting reply to this statement of Kharge. BJP national president Nitin Naveen, targeting Kharge, said, ‘Always insulting others, insulting the people of the state, this is the character of Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress leaders. I ask, Mallikarjun Kharge ji, Sardar Patel also comes from the same Gujarat, Mahatma Gandhi also comes from the same Gujarat, did you not insult him too? The leader of the same Gujarat is Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who secured the country’s borders, increased the respect of the country’s poor people and women through Jan-Dhan schemes.

He further said, ‘In the states where you (Congress) did not get power, you called them illiterate? This reflects your mentality and character to some extent… I would say that Mallikarjun Kharge, you keep giving statements like this, the public will keep punishing you. People see that you do politics only for votes. Wherever you get votes you only do corruption.

Sudhanshu Trivedi targeted

Party spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi asked the Congress President his opinion on the ‘intelligence’ of Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and all the prominent Congress leaders hailing from Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and other parts of North India.

Taking a jibe at the Congress, the Rajya Sabha member said, ‘I would not like to ask about Rahul Gandhi, because the entire country knows about him.’ Trivedi said that the people of Kerala are really intelligent and very educated but Congress and Left parties, no one has ever done justice to them. The BJP leader said, the people of Kerala will give him a befitting reply in the upcoming elections.

What did Shehzad Poonawala say?

BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala said Kharge had made “shocking comments” against the people of Gujarat and North India, which reflected the party’s “divide and rule” mentality. Poonawala posted a video on the social media platform ‘X’ and said, ‘Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has once again made shocking remarks against the people of Gujarat and North India. This reflects Congress’s policy of divide and rule.

Poonawala said, ‘He abused the people of Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh just because they do not vote for Congress. When Congress loses elections, it abuses people. He questioned whether Congress leaders in Gujarat and opposition leaders like Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)’s Tejashwi Yadav support such comments.

Assembly Election 2026 Live: There is very little time left for the elections to be held in four states and one union territory. Voting is taking place in Kerala, Assam and Puducherry on 9th April, whereas in Tamil Nadu, voting will be held in a single phase on 23rd April. West Bengal Assembly elections are being discussed the most across the country. Voting will be held in Bengal in two phases on 23rd and 29th. Voting will be held on 152 seats in the first phase and 142 seats in the second phase.

Main contest in Bengal between TMC and BJP

The main contest in West Bengal is between TMC and BJP. Everyone is waiting to know whether Mamata Banerjee’s government will once again return to the state or BJP will oust TMC from power and gain the throne. Congress and Left parties are also searching for their lost land.

Congress announced candidates for the remaining 10 assembly seats of West Bengal on Wednesday.

All India Congress Committee (AICC) on Wednesday announced candidates for the remaining 10 assembly seats of West Bengal. This announcement has been made before the two-phase assembly elections to be held later this month. Earlier, on March 29, the AICC had announced candidates for 284 of the total 294 assembly seats in the state.

With this latest list, the party has now finalized the names of candidates for all 294 seats. The names of the 10 seats announced on Wednesday are Alipurduar, Islampur, Gazole, Farakka, Sagardighi, Beldanga, Baduria, Ashoknagar, Shrirampur and Pataspur.

No big political name is included in this latest list of candidates. The Congress has decided to contest alone on all 294 assembly seats, breaking its previous electoral alliance with the CPI(M)-led Left Front in the state.

Congress and the Left Front had contested the elections together under the seat-sharing arrangement since the 2016 assembly elections, which continued till the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In the 2021 assembly elections, neither the Congress nor the Left Front got any seats in the state. Assembly elections to be held in two phases in West Bengal are scheduled on April 23 and April 29. Voting will be held on 152 seats in the first phase and 142 seats in the second phase.

The electoral contest in the state is expected to be mainly a four-way affair, involving the Trinamool Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the CPI(M)-led Left Front and the Congress. In some minority-dominated seats, the alliance between All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and Humayun Kabir’s Aam Aadmi Unnayan Party (AAUP) may also impact the electoral contest.

Earlier on Wednesday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the Congress of not responding to her appeal, both in the state and across the country, to support the Trinamool Congress’s agitation against the ‘Special Intensive Revision’ (SIR) of electoral lists.

Kerala Election 2026: Senior Congress leader and AICC general secretary KC Venugopal on Monday strongly criticized the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill (FCRA), alleging that it is a step targeting minority communities. He termed it as the “sword of Damocles” and said that it was specially introduced to control the Christian communities.

This statement has come at a time when Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is running a two-day election campaign in Christian dominated areas of Kerala. Venugopal told reporters that the government introduced this bill in the Lok Sabha without adequate discussion and information.

He claimed that party MP Manish Tewari pointed out the flaws in the provisions of the bill, only after which its details came to light. Despite this it was presented.

Venugopal said the proposed provisions are “draconian” and will have a serious impact on the functioning of social and charitable organisations. He objected to the provisions under which the Central Government can take control of the concerned institutions and their properties if the FCRA license is cancelled. He warned that like the Waqf Amendment Bill, other minority communities and economically weaker sections can also be brought under the ambit of such laws and demanded the immediate withdrawal of the Bill.

In political circles, this statement of Venugopal is being seen as a strategy to woo Christian voters in favor of the United Democratic Front (UDF) in view of the upcoming assembly elections.

Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi campaigned in several important constituencies of the state on Monday and is scheduled to hold a road show in North Kerala on Tuesday. Congress and UDF have promised welfare schemes like free bus travel for women and monthly assistance for senior citizens in the elections.

Venugopal also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that he maintained silence on the Sabarimala gold case during his recent visit to Kerala. He also accused minorities of being attacked, citing incidents involving nuns and priests in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.

Kerala Assembly Election 2026: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will launch a massive two-day election campaign for the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections. During this time, he will try to provide momentum to the United Democratic Front (UDF) workers with major public welfare guarantees and the claim of winning 100 seats in the 140-member assembly.

Gandhi’s day will begin with an important meeting here with Kerala Congress leaders to finalize the election strategy, after which he will leave for the politically crucial Central Kerala region.

The leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha will address public rallies in Adoor and Pathanamthitta before reaching Puthuppalli, where he will hold a rally and road show. He will also attend a nukkad sabha (corner reception) at Kanjikuzhi and conclude the day-long election program with a rally at Athirampuzha. As part of the day-long programme, Congress leaders will visit five important assembly seats in Central Kerala.

On the second day of his visit (Tuesday), the former Wayanad MP will focus his attention on North Kerala, where he will visit six assembly constituencies. During this time, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal and other senior state leaders will also be present with him. He plans to conduct two major road shows in this area.

During the election campaign, Gandhi and the UDF will place heavy emphasis on their election promises, particularly the guarantee of free bus travel for women and Rs 3,000 monthly assistance for senior citizens.

Party leaders said that Gandhi will visit a total of 30 assembly constituencies in the central and southern regions, along with which many road shows will also be included. This shows the preparation on the ground of the opposition alliance.

The Congress-led UDF, which has entered the elections as a united front, seems quite confident of returning to power. Senior leaders of the state have claimed that the public response during the election campaign indicates that the alliance is poised to register a massive victory in the state, crossing the 100-seat mark.