Sapphire news

ECI counsel said ‘mango’ was once a reserved symbol of PMK but the party had lost the right to retain it as a reserved symbol because of poor performance in consecutive elections. Image used for representational purposes. | Photo Credit: K. Pichumani The Madras High Court on Friday (April 10, 2026) dismissed a civil revision … Read more

Women voters queuing up to cast their votes for the Davangere South bypoll, in Davangere on Thursday. | Photo Credit: ANI Polling for the byelections to Davangere South and Bagalkot Legislative Assembly constituencies went on smoothly and concluded peacefully, barring few technical glitches and a stray instance of a minor clash in Davangere. However, both … Read more

Central Armed Police Force guarding outside the Polling center at Farook Maricar Govt. Girls Higher Secondary School, in Puducherry on Thursday, April 9, 2026 | Photo Credit: R. RAGU A steady flow of electors to the polling stations in Puducherry on Thursday (April 9, 2026) turned the 2026 Assembly election into a record breaking one. … Read more

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the TMC would move court to ensure that those deleted from the electoral rolls are reinstated. File | Photo Credit: Debasish Bhaduri West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday (April 9, 2026) alleged that the BJP had deleted over 90 lakh names from voter lists during the … Read more

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses an election rally in Haldia, on April 9, 2026. Photo: X/@narendramodi Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday (April 9, 2026) slammed the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal for its alleged misrule and appealed to voters to oust the Trinamool Congress (TMC) from power in the upcoming Assembly polls. Addressing … Read more

File photo of senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala | Photo Credit: The Hindu Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala on Thursday (April 9, 2026) said his party will not contest the bypoll to the Baramati Assembly seat, from where Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar is seeking an election following the death of her husband Ajit Pawar. … Read more

Kerala votes across all 140 Assembly constituencies on Thursday (April 9, 2026), in a contest that will decide whether the LDF returns for a third consecutive term or if the UDF or NDA can break its hold. Polling was conducted amid tight security arrangements, with over 76,000 personnel deployed and the election process monitored live … Read more

First time voter Tejaswini proudly displays her inked finger after casting her vote in Hadadi village during the by-poll in Davangere South Assembly constituency, in Karnataka, on April 9, 2026. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT Voting was underway for bypolls to two Assembly segments— Bagalkot and Davanagere South in Karnataka on Thursday (April 9, 2026). … Read more

Trinamool MPs Derek O’Brien, Sagarika Ghose, and others after a meeting between the party delegation and the Election Commission of India in New Delhi on April 8, 2026. | Photo Credit: ANI A meeting between the Trinamool Congress and the full bench of the Election Commission of India ended on an acrimonious note on Wednesday … Read more

Image used for representation purpose only. File | Photo Credit: The Hindu As the 2026 State Assembly elections draw closer, it becomes important for voters to understand what happens at a polling station. This is especially relevant for first-time voters, many of whom may be unfamiliar with the procedures involved. Here is a step-by-step guide … Read more

Five years on, Puducherry set to test ‘double engine’ model as NDA seeks second term Puducherry, which saw its first-ever AINRC-BJP Government installed in 2021, gets its earliest opportunity to deliver a verdict on five years of the much-touted “double-engine” governance model when the Union Territory goes to the polls on April 9, 2026, to … Read more

Polling for all 126 Assam assembly constituencies began on Thursday to decide the electoral fate of 722 candidates, officials said. In the high-stakes election, the ruling BJP is aiming for a third consecutive term in office, while the Congress seeks to wrest power after being ousted in 2016. Polling, being held in a single phase, … Read more

Puducherry Chief Electoral Officer P. Jawahar addressing a press conference in the Union Territory on April 8, 2026 | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Various squads deployed by the Election Department to enforce the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) for the Assembly polls have seized potential voter inducement worth around ₹8.4 crore during the campaign period … Read more

A board indicating the presence of surveillance cameras fixed outside a polling station in Kozhikode on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: K. Ragesh The police have put in place heightened security arrangements at as many as 351 sensitive polling booths in Kozhikode district based on the latest vulnerability assessment report. Following instructions from the election authorities, … Read more

Devikulam Subcollector V.M. Arya distributing polling items to a special team deputed to Edamalakkudy panchayat in Idukki. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT A special team has moved to Edamalakkudy, the State’s first tribal panchayat located inside the forest, to facilitate the voting process. According to Devikulam Subcollector and returning officer V.M. Arya, three booths have … Read more

After the drama that lasted over a month over the issue of seat sharing for the Tamil Nadu Assembly election, the ruling DMK and its long-standing ally, the Congress, have done well by reaching an understanding without leaving room for rancour. Senior party leaders including Mallikarjun Kharge, P. Chidambaram and Kanimozhi helped both sides iron … Read more

Image for Representation | Photo Credit: ajijchan Published – April 08, 2026 11:30 am IST Read Comments Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit

O. Panneerselvam. File | Photo Credit: M. Periasamy Former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, who recently joined the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), has filed an application before the Madras High Court seeking leave to withdraw an election petition filed by him in 2024 challenging the victory of Ramanathapuram Lok Sabha member K. Navas Kani of Indian Union … Read more

A huge hoarding of ‘Akou ebar BJP sorkar’ (BJP government once more) greets visitors as they emerge from the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Assam’s Guwahati. However, there’s little else giving away the fact that it’s election season here barring an odd party flag or empty booth. The road to the city is festooned … Read more

Left Democratic Front workers participate in the finale of the open campaigning for the Kerala Assembly elections at Thripunithura on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: THULASI KAKKAT   The stakes are so high in the Kerala State Assembly polls on April 9 that the public campaign has been no-holds-barred, often descending into ad hominem attacks that … Read more

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday (April 7, 2026) alleged that names of people belonging to the Matua and minority communities were deleted from the post-SIR voter rolls in the State. Addressing a rally at Chakdaha in Nadia district, Ms. Banerjee said that the TMC will stand by those whose names were excluded … Read more

K.A. Sengottaiyan, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam’s candidate for the Gobichettipalayam Assembly constituency in Erode district | Photo Credit: M. Govarthan The nomination filed by Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) candidate K.A. Sengottaiyan from the Gobichettipalayam Assembly constituency for the April 23 election in Tamil Nadu, which was kept pending during scrutiny on Tuesday (April 7, 2026) morning, … Read more

K.A. Sengottaiyan, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam’s candidate for the Gobichettipalayam Assembly constituency in Erode district | Photo Credit: M. Govarthan Following objections raised by AIADMK agents, the nomination filed by Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) candidate K.A. Sengottaiyan for contesting from Gobichettipalayam Assembly constituency was kept on hold during scrutiny on Tuesday (April 7, 2026). Returning Officer … Read more

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee with voters from her Bhabanipur constituency whose names were allegedly deleted from the electoral rolls. File photo: X/@AITCofficial West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday (April 7,2026) alleged that names of people belonging to specific communities were deleted from the post-Special Intensive Revision (SIR) voter rolls in the … Read more

Poll paraphernalia displayed for sale at a shop in Palakkad, Kerala. | Photo Credit: K K Mustafah The Election Commission of India has issued an advisory on the beginning of the 48-hour silent period in view of the upcoming Assembly Elections in West Bengal, Assam, Puducherry, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.  In the advisory, the ECI … Read more

M. Swaraj, CPI(M) State secretariat member in Kerala, has said that the Congress has a track record of “transitioning into the BJP” in several parts of the country and that such a transformation would be “faster” in Kerala. Addressing the media at Lenin Centre, Kaloor, in Kochi on Tuesday hours before the public campaign for … Read more

As Kerala approaches the pivotal 2026 Assembly elections, the political ambit has shifted its attention to Pinarayi Vijayan and how he will fare this time around. Mr. Vijayan, the 12th Chief Minister of Kerala, has already secured his place in the annals of history by breaking the four-decade-old pendulum tradition in 2021. Now, as he … Read more

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma speaks during an election campaign in support of the AGP candidate, Tapan Das (unseen), from the Dimoria constituency for Assam Legislative Assembly elections 2026 at Sonapur, Kamrup. | Photo Credit: ANI GUWAHATI Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday (April 6, 2026) accused the Congress party of unleashing … Read more