NEW DELHI — Voting began on April 9, 2026, in local elections across Assam, Kerala and Puducherry in India. The elections featured contests between the Bharatiya Janata Party and its regional allies and a range of opposition parties.

Assam and Puducherry are governed by the National Democratic Alliance led by the BJP, while Kerala is governed by opposition parties. Election results for Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu are expected on May 4, 2026.

In Assam, which borders Bangladesh, immigration has been a long-standing issue in the state. The BJP campaign in Assam emphasized a hard line on immigration as the party sought to retain power. The party's campaign in the state featured rhetoric claiming illegal immigration by Bengali-speaking Muslims.

In Kerala, the state government has traditionally alternated between alliances led by the Indian National Congress and alliances led by communist parties. The BJP has struggled to gain ground in the southern state but has invested heavily in efforts to expand its presence there.

Puducherry, a small federal territory, presented a different dynamic. There, the BJP is relying on a coalition with a regional party to strengthen its position in the territory's local contests.

Ahead of the voting, election officials conducted an exercise called the Special Intensive Revision to revise electoral rolls across the states and territories holding elections. The Election Commission of India said the revision eliminated dead, duplicate and fake voters from the electoral roll. The commission also said the Special Intensive Revision is in part intended to prevent foreign illegal immigrants from voting.

The voter registration overhaul began in 2025 across several states and territories and is intended to remove ineligible voters from the rolls. Similar Special Intensive Revision exercises have been conducted in other states beyond those voting on April 9, 2026.

The April 9 elections took place against the backdrop of shifting national party dynamics. In the 2024 national election, the BJP was forced to rely on regional allies to form the federal government. The party entered the April 9, 2026, contests seeking to demonstrate strength in states and territories where it holds power and to make gains in areas where it has had less electoral success.