Overview
- The BJP starts 2026 from recent Assembly gains with a structural edge over a divided opposition, as working president Nitin Nabin is expected to be elevated to party chief in the first half of the year.
- Assembly elections in West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry are slated for April–May, with contests shaped by incumbency, regional issues and shifting alliances.
- The Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls has drawn objections over large deletions in draft lists, which the poll body describes as a cleanup while opponents allege disenfranchisement.
- India’s first fully digital Census, including caste enumeration, begins houselisting in April 2026 ahead of population enumeration in early 2027, a process likely to revive debates on post-Census delimitation.
- The government plans to advance constitutional amendments for synchronised national and state elections, setting up a major political battle that will require special majorities in Parliament.