Who won the 2026 state elections: explained simply

What happened

Five assemblies voted in April 2026 and were counted on 4 May. In West Bengal the BJP won about 207 of 294 seats, ending 15 years of Trinamool rule; Suvendu Adhikari became the state's first BJP chief minister on 9 May. In Tamil Nadu, Vijay's TVK won 108 of 234 and he was sworn in on 10 May with support from other parties, the first government in decades led by neither the DMK nor the AIADMK. Himanta Biswa Sarma took a second term in Assam on 12 May. In Kerala the UDF returned after a decade; V.D. Satheesan became chief minister on 18 May. Puducherry's result is not covered here.

Why it matters

State elections are a standing exam theme: examiners ask who the new chief ministers are, which constitutional articles govern elections and government formation, and what the majority mark is in each assembly. Kerala's renaming as Keralam, which followed in August, adds an Article 3 question on how a state's name is changed.

Timeline

24 Feb2026
Union Cabinet approves renaming Kerala as Keralam, starting the Article 3 process
9 Apr2026
Assam, Kerala and Puducherry vote; Tamil Nadu on 23 April; West Bengal on 23 and 29 April
4 May2026
Counting: BJP wins West Bengal, UDF wins Kerala, TVK largest in Tamil Nadu, BJP retains Assam
9 May2026
Suvendu Adhikari sworn in as West Bengal chief minister at Brigade Parade Ground, Kolkata
10 May2026
C. Joseph Vijay sworn in as Tamil Nadu chief minister in Chennai; asked to prove his majority by 13 May
12 May2026
Himanta Biswa Sarma sworn in for a second term as Assam chief minister in Guwahati
18 May2026
V.D. Satheesan sworn in as Kerala chief minister in Thiruvananthapuram with 20 ministers
27 May2026
Supreme Court upholds the Election Commission's power to hold the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, under Article 324 (ruling reported by a single outlet)
25 Aug2026
Kerala officially becomes Keralam under the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Act 2026

Words to know

Article 324: Vests the superintendence, direction and control of elections in the Election Commission of India.
Article 164: The Governor appoints the Chief Minister; other ministers are appointed on the Chief Minister's advice.
Majority marks: West Bengal 148 of 294; Tamil Nadu 118 of 234; Kerala 71 of 140; Assam 64 of 126.
Tenth Schedule: The anti-defection law, added by the 52nd Amendment in 1985, which can disqualify legislators who switch parties.
Article 3: Lets Parliament change a state's name or boundaries by ordinary law after the state legislature gives its views; it is not a constitutional amendment under Article 368. Earlier examples: Madras State to Tamil Nadu (1969), Orissa to Odisha (2011).
Seat tallies (as reported): West Bengal: BJP 207 (some reports 206), TMC 80. Tamil Nadu: TVK 108, DMK 59, AIADMK 47. Kerala: Congress 63, UDF roughly 100 (reports range 97 to 103). Assam: BJP 82, NDA 102.
State firsts: West Bengal's first chief minister was Prafulla Chandra Ghosh (1947); Jyoti Basu served 23 years (1977 to 2000). E.M.S. Namboodiripad led India's first elected communist state government in Kerala in 1957. M.G. Ramachandran was the first film actor to become Tamil Nadu chief minister (1977).

What an exam could ask

Match the chief minister to the state could be asked for the four states that changed or renewed governments in May 2026.
The constitutional process for renaming Kerala as Keralam could be asked, with Article 3 and the Odisha precedent.
Election Commission powers under Article 324 could be asked alongside the Supreme Court's May 2026 ruling on the Bihar Special Intensive Revision.
A numbers question could test assembly strengths and majority marks or the counting date.
Earlier history could be attached: the first chief minister of West Bengal, the 1957 Kerala government, or the first actor chief minister of Tamil Nadu.

Angles to revise, not predictions.

Sources

Written from fact-checked news and red-teamed. Errors can occur: verify important facts with official sources.