Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam president C. Joseph Vijay arrived at Lok Bhavan in Chennai to meet Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar and stake a claim to form the government.

- N. Sai Charan

Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar has arrived in Chennai and is heading to the Lok Bhavan.

- D. Suresh Kumar

Two former chief secretaries – Alapan Bandyopadhyay and H.K. Dwivedi – have resigned as chief advisors to outgoing West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, following the change in guard in the State, an official said on Wednesday.

The two retired IAS officers submitted their resignations on Tuesday, he said.

Eminent economist Abhirup Sarkar, too, has stepped down from the dual posts of chairman of the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) and West Bengal Small Industries Development Corporation (WBSIDC), the State secretariat official said.

Necessary administrative steps have been initiated following the resignations, he said.

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Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala, a Chief Minister hopeful, on Wednesday said social media campaigns and putting up of flexboards will not be the deciding factors for selecting the Chief Minister of Kerala.

Mr. Chennithala made the remark in response to reporters’ queries in Delhi on the intense social media campaign in favour of V.D. Satheesan as Chief Minister on the grounds that the latter had led the UDF poll campaign from the front.

“Who should be CM is not decided based on social media campaigns or the flexboards put up by the supporters. It is decided by the High Command in accordance with the procedure already in place. As part of that two party observers will reach Kerala by (Wednesday) evening and they will speak to all the MLAs. After that, the party High Command will take a decision,” he said.

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CPI State secretary Binoy Viswam on Wednesday (May 6, 2026) said that the BJP winning three seats in the Kerala Assembly polls needs to be viewed seriously by all secular parties, as it poses a “danger” to the politics in the State.

Mr. Viswam, speaking to reporters in the State capital, said that the BJP not only won three seats but also came second in six constituencies, which was also a matter of concern.

He said that it shows that when extreme right-wing politics tightened its grip, it has made a big impact, not just in Kerala but across the country. It needs to be studied in detail by all Left and secular forces in the country to deal with it.

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Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam president C. Joseph Vijay arrived at the party headquarters in Panaiyur on the outskirts of Chennai. 

Congress leaders are expected to arrive at TVK headquarters shortly.

- The Hindu Bureau

The Congress party has officially announced that its elected representatives will support Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, led by C. Joseph Vijay, to form the next Government in Tamil Nadu and said that the alliance has been founded on mutual respect and appropriate “share” in the State Government. 

In a statement by the All India Congress Committee in charge of Tamil Nadu, Girish Chodankar said that the decision was taken after Mr. Vijay had formally requested support of the Indian National Congress in Tamil Nadu.

“Our support shall be conditional upon the TVK keeping out of this alliance any communal forces that do not believe in the Constitution of India,” the statement said.

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Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma submitted his resignation to Governor, paving the way for the formation of a new government, said the officials on Wednesday (May 6, 2026).

After resigning from the Chief Minister’s post, Mr. Sarma said, “Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya asked us to continue as a caretaker government. The new Assam Chief Minister will be selected at a meeting of the BJP legislature party in the presence of central observers.”

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Assam’s Chief Electoral Officer Anurag Goel on Wednesday (May 6, 2026) handed over the State Assembly poll results to Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya.

A team from the CEO’s office, led by Mr. Goel, called on the Governor at the Lok Bhawan in Guwahati and submitted the list of elected legislators.

After submission of the official results, the Governor will start the process to form the new Government.

- PTI

Nair Service Society (NSS) general secretary G. Sukumaran Nair on Wednesday (May 6, 2026) said the Congress-led UDF’s win in the 2026 Kerala Assembly polls was not due to efforts of any individual, but an outcome of the people being “fed up” with the government and wanting a change.

Mr. Nair made the remark in response to reporters’ queries in Kottayam regarding Congress leader V.D. Satheesan’s role in the victory of the UDF.

He termed the poll outcome as “a victory for democracy” and contended that the Left lost due to internal issues within it and not due to any anti-incumbency sentiment.

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Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday (May 6, 2026) alleged that democracy in West Bengal was being “held at gunpoint” and accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of refusing to accept the spirit of the electoral mandate.

In a post on X, Mr. Pradhan said mandates were being treated “less like the people’s voice and more like suggestions open to rejection”, raising questions over whether power was being treated as a responsibility or an entitlement.

“Democracy in Bengal is being held at gunpoint, and the refusal to accept the electoral verdict lays this reality bare. Mandates are being treated less like the people’s voice and more like suggestions open to rejection. The refusal of Mamata Banerjee to accept the spirit of the mandate raises a serious question: Is power being treated as a responsibility or merely as an entitlement?” he said.

- PTI

K. A. Sengottaiyan, the chief coordinator of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam’s high-level committee, arrived at Fort St. George to meet with the officials of the Assembly Secretariat.

The CPI(M) also convened the State committee meeting to discuss TVK chief Vijay’s request for support.

- The Hindu Bureau

Tensions escalated in Kolkata as bulldozers razed multiple structures in the city’s iconic New Market on Tuesday evening. Similar visuals were seen in Murshidabad’s Jiaganj as a Lenin statue was vandalised by a mob. The Trinamool Congress leaders alleged a targeted attack by Bharatiya Janta Party workers. 

“In central Kolkata, near New Market. With police permission. As part of victory celebrations, a bulldozer was brought in to demolish meat shops. CAPF is standing around. THE BJP FOR YOU,” TMC’s Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien said on his social media. He shared a video of a bulldozer taking on the structures outside New Market.

Since the incident, videos of the bulldozer action have gone viral on social media with netizens criticising the action. According to initial reports, the prime target of the bulldozer action was to bring down the TMC’s New Market union office, which was demolished in the incident.

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After his emphatic victory in the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections, veteran communist leader G. Sudhakaran has ruled out the possibility of joining the Congress or forming a broader alliance of CPI(M) rebels.

Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Sudhakaran, who contested and won as an Independent with UDF support after ending his six-decade association with the CPI(M), in Ambalappuzha constituency in Alappuzha, said he would continue as an “Independent”.

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Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar directed the authorities concerned to immediately arrest those involved in post-poll violence and vandalism in West Bengal, an official said on Wednesday.

The Election Commission of India (ECI)’s directive came after two persons were killed in alleged incidents of post-poll violence in the State on Tuesday, besides scores of party offices being ransacked.

The CEC issued instructions to the West Bengal Chief Secretary, Director General of police, Kolkata police commissioner and directors general of Central Armed Police Forces, along with all district magistrates, superintendents of police and other officials, to maintain continuous patrolling in sensitive areas, he said.

“Those responsible for inciting violence and carrying out acts of vandalism must be arrested immediately,” the official said, quoting the CEC’s instruction.

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The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has written a letter to the Communist Party of India (CPI) seeking support from the party to form the government.

The CPI, a constituent of the DMK-led Secular Progress Alliance, has won two seats. The party has called for its State Committee meeting on May 8 to decide on TVK’s request.

- N. Sai Charan

The TMC party office in Jagatballavpur was allegedly set ablaze on Tuesday (May 5, 2026).

Taking it to X, TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee shared a video stating, “The TMC party office in Jagatballavpur has reportedly been set ablaze by BJP miscreants—an alarming reflection of the situation the people of Bengal are now being forced to endure.”

Over the years, Mr. Vijay has implemented several welfare measures and extended support to regional and national political causes.

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After scripting a historic victory in West Bengal, the BJP on Tuesday (May 5, 2026) appointed Union Home Minister Amit Shah as the central observer for the election of the leader of the Legislature Party. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has been named co-observer.

Mr. Shah and Mr. Majhi are likely to arrive in the State in the coming days. The BJP is set to form a government in the State for the first time after ending the 15-year rule of the Trinamool Congress. The party won 207 seats in the Assembly election, reducing the Trinamool to just 80.

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Haemorrhaging vote shares across regions, the CPI(M)-led LDF registers its lowest vote share tally since 1982; Congress and IUML led the UDF surge with the former winning 63 seats, and the latter securing 22. 

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Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is likely to meet the Governor on Wednesday (May 6, 2026) and submit his resignation, paving the way for the formation of a new government, an official source said. 

Speaking to reporters in Guwahati, Mr. Sarma said he will call on Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya once the election results are officially submitted to the latter. 

The official source said the State’s Chief Electoral Officer is scheduled to submit the final results to Acharya on Wednesday forenoon (May 6, 2026).

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam president C. Joseph Vijay on Tuesday (May 5, 2026) reached out to the Congress, a constituent of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance, seeking support to form the government in Tamil Nadu, as the debutant emerged as the single largest party in the Assembly, winning 108 seats, falling short of a simple majority in the 234-member House. 

The national party, which won five seats, hinted it could extend support. In New Delhi, All India Congress Committee general secretary K.C. Venugopal confirmed that the TVK has formally sought Congress backing. 

According to TVK sources, Vijay and senior leaders of the party have sought an appointment to meet Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Wednesday (May 6, 2026). 

Being the leader of the single largest party, Vijay is likely to either stake a claim or seek additional time to form government. It remains to be seen whether Vijay would seek the support of any other allies of the DMK or the AIADMK to prove his majority.