Assembly Elections LIVE updates: Kamal Haasan’s MNM decides not to contest, extends support to DMK

Assembly polls 2026: Follow updates from The Hindu on the upcoming elections in five States on March 25, 2026

Makkal Needhi Maiam founder and Rajya Sabha M.P., Kamal Haasan, on Tuesday (March 24, 2026) said that the party wouldn’t be contesting the upcoming 2026 assembly elections but has decided to extend its full support to the secular progressive alliance led by the DMK in Tamil Nadu. 

Poll officials on Tuesday accepted the nomination papers of Opposition leader in Kerala Assembly, V.D. Satheesan, after rejecting complaints lodged by the Left Democratic Front (LDF), alleging that he had concealed information and underreported his income.

Also read | ‘Cat is out of the bag’: Mamata on BJP stamp appearing on ECI letter in Kerala

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday (March 24, 2026) held a review meeting with senior officials from four poll-bound States and one Union Territory, as well as the 12 States that share borders with them, with a special focus on sealing the borders of neighbouring districts to maintain peace, two weeks before polling is set to begin.

Also read | ECI reviews preparedness, law-and-order in poll-bound States

Assam, Kerala, and the Union Territory of Puducherry will go to the polls on April 9, 2026. In Tamil Nadu, the election will be conducted on April 23. The first phase of elections will be held on April 23, 2026, in West Bengal, and the second phase on April 29, 2026. The counting for all these elections will be held on May 4, 2026.