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Thiruvananthapuram: Congress leaders decided to refrain from naming preferred candidates for the Chief Minister’s post to avoid differences before the announcement of the Kerala Assembly election results.

Earlier, Congress MP K. Sudhakaran had extended support to Ramesh Chennithala, while Ernakulam DCC president Mohammed Shiyas, without naming V.D. Satheesan, said the CM should be from the district.

K. Muraleedharan, speaking to reporters, said it was not appropriate to express such opinions at this stage. “Going into such a discussion is not appropriate, as it would give a bad impression of differences in the party to the public. No one should create such a situation,” he said, adding that the decision would be taken by the party high command.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor also said the party follows a set procedure in selecting the CM, and it would be followed in Kerala as well. - PTI

Chennai: The Election Commission of India (ECI) ordered the transfer of Tamil Nadu Home Secretary Dheeraj Kumar and appointed K. Manivasan in his place. The 1993 batch IAS officer Manivasan has been directed to join immediately.

Further, the release from the ECI said Kumar should not be posted in any election-related posts till the completion of elections.

Earlier, the ECI ordered the transfer of Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary N. Muruganandam and appointed senior IAS officer M. Sai Kumar in his place. Similarly, the ECI ordered the transfer of Greater Chennai Police Commissioner A. Arun, replacing him with the 1997 batch IPS officer Abhin Dinesh. - PTI

Chennai: The women’s monthly entitlement scheme and the Chief Minister’s ‘breakfast scheme’, among the numerous welfare initiatives launched by his government, were close to his heart, DMK president and Tamil Nadu CM M.K. Stalin has said.

“While the women empowerment scheme, which is being replicated in other States in the country will go down in history as a very important programme, the ‘breakfast scheme’, aimed at improving the children’s health, has immeasurable benefits,” the Chief Minister said in an interview.

“All the schemes that we have implemented in the Dravidian model regime are very important initiatives. However, I would like to say that though we have implemented various schemes, two schemes are close to my heart. They are the women’s monthly entitlement scheme and CM’s breakfast scheme,” he said when asked if he could name schemes, among the slew of welfare programmes being implemented by his government, that gave him immense satisfaction. - PTI

Onda: Union Home Minister Amit Shah asserted that if the BJP is voted to power in West Bengal, it will end Trinamool Congress’ “syndicate raj”, and said those involved in atrocities on women of the State would be brought to justice.

Addressing a BJP rally at Onda in Bankura district, Mr. Shah assured potato farmers that their produce will be sent across the country so that they get remunerative prices.

“We will end the “syndicate raj” of the TMC government after winning the West Bengal Assembly elections,” he said. “All those involved in atrocities on women during Mamata Banerjee’s rule will be brought to justice,” Mr. Shah asserted.

“India is not a ‘dharamshala’ (free guest house), and infiltrators who pose a threat to the country will be thrown out,” the Union Home Minister said. - PTI

Katwa: Prime Minister Narendra Modi sharpened the BJP’s pitch on infiltration and welfare in poll-bound West Bengal and promised that the process of granting citizenship to Matua and Namasudra refugee families will speed up once the party comes to power.

Addressing a rally at Katwa in Purba Bardhaman district, Mr. Modi said the BJP had brought in the Citizenship (Amendment) Act to grant citizenship to refugees and accused the ruling Trinamool Congress of trying to spread fear among them.

“I want to tell the Matua and Namasudra refugee families that they are under the protection of the country’s Constitution. Modi enacted the CAA law so that Matua, Namasudra, and all refugees get citizenship,” he said.

The PM also said, “After the BJP government is formed, the process of granting citizenship under CAA will be accelerated for all eligible applicants.” The remarks are significant in a State where the Matua community, spread across several districts of south Bengal, is seen as an influential electoral bloc and where the issue of citizenship has remained politically charged. - PTI

The DMK-led alliance will win more than 200 seats in the April 23 Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, party president and Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has asserted, and accused the AIADMK of “dancing to the tunes of Delhi”, saying it lacks ideology or principle, and that the “Delhi BJP functions as its headquarters”.

Mr. Stalin said that during the five-year Dravidian model rule, his government has implemented countless welfare schemes, including the Kalaignar Women’s Entitlement Scheme of ₹1,000 per month, free bus travel for women, breakfast scheme for school children, and free electricity connections for two lakh farmers.

“People have placed immense love and trust in my party, and that with their support, the Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) will win more than 200 seats and form the Dravidian Model 2.0 government,” he said. - PTI

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday (April 11, 2026) claimed that the BJP, with the help of the Election Commission, tried to get her candidature from Bhabanipur seat in south Kolkata cancelled by attempting to file false cases against her, but the bid was foiled by TMC workers and the public.

Ms. Banerjee, while addressing an election rally at Keshiyari in Paschim Medinipur district, accused the BJP of “forcefully” deleting the names of 90 lakh voters from the electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

“The BJP, with the EC’s help, tried to invalidate my candidature from Bhabanipur by trying to file false cases against me, but we foiled their game plan,” Ms. Banerjee, who is contesting against Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari to retain her seat, said without elaborating further.

She accused the BJP of “plotting to forcefully capture votes through fraudulent means as they don’t have the guts to fight and win the elections democratically”.

-PTI

Nilgiris district Collector Lakshmi Bhavya Tanneeru inspecting home voting arrangement’s at RDO office in Udhagamandalam on Saturday (April 11, 2026).

Photo Credit: Sathyamoorthy M/The Hindu

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday (April 11, 2026) asserted that if the BJP is voted to power in West Bengal, it will end TMC’s ‘syndicate raj’, and said those involved in atrocities on women of the State would be brought to justice.

Addressing a BJP rally at Onda in Bankura district, Mr. Shah assured potato farmers that their produce will be sent across the country so that they get remunerative prices.

“We will end the ‘syndicate raj’ of the TMC government after winning the Bengal assembly elections,” he said.

“All those involved in atrocities on women during Mamata Banerjee’s rule will be brought to justice,” Mr. Shah asserted.

-PTI

Chennai: Karthik Mohan, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) candidate from the Villivakkam Assembly constituency, conducted a door-to-door campaign in Agathiyar Nagar ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.

He interacted with the people of the Assembly constituency, having conversations with residents while the electorate showered flower petals as he made his way.

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam’s (TVK) general secretary of election campaign management, Aadhav Arjuna, is pitted against DMK candidate Karthik Mohan. Karthik Mohan is the son of M.K. Mohan, the DMK MLA representing the Anna Nagar constituency. He has been fielded against All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) ‘s S.R. Vijayakumar, who is a former MP.

Mr. Mohan expressed confidence in a victory, asserting that Villivakkam is a stronghold for the party. - ANI

Tiruchirappalli: Ahead of the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, a voter awareness rally was held in Tiruchirappalli district to emphasise 100% voter participation. The awareness rally was jointly organised by My Bharat Kendra, Tiruchirappalli district, and Veeramangai Velu Nachiyar Youth Association. Around 1,000 women silambam (ancient weapon-based martial art originating from Tamil Nadu) practitioners took part in the rally, performing silambam as they marched from Kalai Kaviri College of Fine Arts.

A similar voter awareness rally was also held in Tirupattur in Tamil Nadu, flagged off by District Collector Sivasoundaravalli, who led the campaign to encourage citizens to exercise their right to vote. Students participated actively, promoting 100% voting and urging citizens to exercise their democratic rights. - ANI

Kolkata: Shifting loyalties, BJP’s strengthened organisational control, and allegations of skewed SIR voter deletions seem to have added extra layers of intrigue to Nandigram, making the high-stakes contest in this key seat one of the most closely watched in West Bengal’s Assembly polls.

In the evening of May 2, 2021, when Nandigram’s Returning Officer announced BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari’s victory over Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee by a razor-thin margin of 1,956 votes, the moment marked the beginning of a crucial chapter in the State’s politics.

Mr. Adhikari bagged more than 1.1 lakh votes to humble the State’s most recognised leader, improving the BJP’s tally by more than one lakh votes from the 2016 polls by overcoming the disadvantage of not having even one of the 17 gram panchayats or the two panchayat samitis which make up the Nandigram seat.

He jumped ship from the TMC on December 19, 2020, and barely had three months then to turn the tide in his favour.

“In the last five years, a lot more water has flowed down the Haldi river, which circumvents Nandigram, with the BJP now controlling 11 of the 17 GPs and both panchayat samitis of Nandigram I and II blocks, giving Adhikari, the leader of Opposition in the Assembly, a vital advantage in the 2026 polls,” observers say.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP vastly improved its Nandigram Assembly segment performance, by securing a lead of 8,200 votes, and a 49.49% vote share as against TMC’s 45.87%.

Nandigram goes to the polls in the first phase of elections in Bengal on April 23.

Kannur: A Yuva Morcha leader has filed a complaint with the EC against Congress MP K. Sudhakaran, alleging violations of norms while casting his vote in the Assembly polls in Kerala.

The complaint was filed by Yuva Morcha leader K. Shijil against Mr. Sudhakaran and his assistant Jayant Dinesh.

According to Yuva Morcha, the youth wing of the BJP, Mr. Sudhakaran entered a polling booth at a school in Kizhunna, Kannur, accompanied by Dinesh. They alleged that Dinesh accompanied him up to the EVM and stood beside the Congress leader while he cast his vote. Yuva Morcha also claimed that Dinesh was carrying and using a mobile phone inside the polling booth.

Yuva Morcha leaders said they had submitted video clips of the incident along with the complaint to the District Returning Officer and were awaiting an investigation and action against the Kannur MP. - PTI

Kochi: K.V. Thomas, the Special Representative of Kerala government in New Delhi, said the CPI(M)-led LDF will return to power for a third time and the Congress-led UDF will not form government owing to the alleged “infighting” within it.

Mr. Thomas, a former Congress leader and Union Minister, also accused the BJP of bringing “consumerism” into politics, saying it was evident from what happened in Palakkad. He was referring to the allegation against BJP leader Sobha Surendran of offering cash for votes.

Mr. Thomas, while speaking to a TV channel in Kochi, further said that consumerism can also be seen in BJP leader Shone George’s remark that if churches do not help the saffron party, it might not help them. “This is what the RSS and the BJP have been saying in Delhi for years,” he claimed. He said that statements by Mr. Shone and his father P.C. George show their true nature.

“They are coming as wolves with masks. They are trying to scare the church by their statements. But, it will not be successful in Kerala,” Mr. Thomas said. - PTI

A comprehensive probe is under way into a few suspected incidents of impersonation and bogus voting reported by leaders of some political parties in Kozhikode district. The police and the election authorities have started gathering digital evidence on multiple complaints to ensure a fair probe into the complaints.

According to police sources, complaints have come up from urban and rural constituencies. Within the Kozhikode city limits, leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have filed complaints on alleged bogus voting in the Beypore constituency. The statements of election officials will be recorded soon.

Read more:

The final list of candidates contesting the elections from the 10 Assembly constituencies in Madurai district has been released. A total of 129 candidates will be contesting the election across the 10 constituencies.

The final list of the candidates was released following the scrutiny and the withdrawal of the nominations.

Read more:

Thiruvananthapuram: Congress leader K. Muraleedharan said no community should be blamed for not voting for a particular party.

He was responding to questions regarding BJP leader P.C. George and his son Shone George, who criticised the Catholic church, its bishops, and a newspaper supported by it, alleging that they had turned against them in the election.

He said the remarks indicated that the BJP’s attitude towards minority communities outside Kerala was being repeated in the State.

“Communities should not be blamed for not voting for us. On some occasions, we receive votes from certain communities, and at other times, we do not. In some elections, we also did not receive votes from certain communities, but we did not blame them,” he said. - PTI

Election officials seized 100 dummy Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and 20,600 visiting cards containing photos of DMK Orathanadu candidate R. Vaithilingam during a vehicle inspection near the Arumbakkam Metro in the Anna Nagar Assembly constituency in Chennai. Mr. Vaithilingam, a former AIADMK Minister, had joined the DMK a few months ago.

The materials were recovered from a load autorickshaw, which a Static Surveillance Team intercepted. The team was led by Sri Sathyan, Assistant Engineer of Zone-4, Greater Chennai Corporation.

Officials said the consignment comprised dummy EVMs made of plastic and thermocol and visiting cards with Mr. Vaithilingam’s photo. M. Ganesan (50) the driver who is a resident of Anna Nagar West Extension, and another individual accompanying him were detained and taken to the Anna Nagar election office. The seized materials were later deposited there for further investigation. - The Hindu Bureau

A stone was hurled at the vehicle of R. Sabarinathan, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) candidate for Virugambakkam constituency, during campaigning in Arumbakkam.

The police said an unidentified person hurled a stone at the vehicle while it was moving through the area. It did not hit the candidate but damaged the vehicle.

Party functionary Ramanathan was assaulted when he attempted to stop the attacker. “The assailant also tore campaign pamphlets and abused party workers, saying the area belonged to an opposition party,” the police said.

Following the incident, Pandiyaraj, a lawyer and TVK’s district joint coordinator, filed a complaint at the CMBT Police Station. The police are examining CCTV footage from the area to identify the suspect. - The Hindu Bureau

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address three rallies in poll-bound West Bengal on Saturday (April 11, 2026), as the BJP steps up its campaign ahead of the Assembly elections.

PM Modi will hold the rallies at Katwa in Purba Bardhaman, Jangipur in the Muslim-majority Murshidabad district and Kushmandi in Dakshin Dinajpur.

This will be PM Modi’s third visit to the State since the Election Commission announced the poll schedule in mid-March, underscoring the importance the BJP leadership attaches to West Bengal, one of the party’s key electoral battlegrounds.

- PTI

S. Ramadoss says he is not opposing the ‘Mango’ symbol and contends that it is his symbol and was created by him. 

Describing the court verdict on the party dispute as ‘different’, he says the Anbumani faction is making it seem as if the ‘Mango’ symbol and the party did not belong to him.

Read the exclusive interview below

Voters in Kerala may have to wait a little longer for updated polling percentage figures from Thursday’s Assembly polls. 

Election officials said the final data could take a day or two, as District Election officers and Returning officers need to complete updates before the Election Commission of India compiles and announces the official turnout.

Read the full story below

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday (April 10, 2026) ordered a repoll in a booth of the Karimganj (North) constituency in Assam’s Sribhumi district.

The repoll has been ordered in booth number 239 at Babyland High English School.

Repolling will be held on Saturday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The re-election was ordered following clashes between supporters of the BJP and Congress.

There are 14 candidates in the fray in this Barak Valley constituency, with a triangular contest among the BJP’s Subrata Chaudhari, Congress’s Jakaria Ahmed and Choudhury Hibbur Rasul Usama Mabrur of the AIUDF.

- PTI