Voting is underway in two Indian states and one union territory as the Assembly election season begins. Polling in Kerala, Assam and Puducherry opened at 07:00 local time and will continue until 17:00. Results for these contests and two other regions voting later this month (West Bengal and Tamil Nadu) are due on May 4.
What’s at stake
– Assam: About 25 million voters will elect a 126-member assembly. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is seeking a third term, facing the Indian National Congress in a contest shadowed by controversy over a 2023 redrawing of constituency lines that critics say disadvantaged minorities.
– Kerala: Some 27 million voters will choose a 140-member assembly. The race is set for a three-way contest among the incumbent Left Democratic Front (LDF), a BJP-led alliance and a Congress-led alliance. The BJP has never won an election in Kerala.
– Puducherry: Around 944,000 voters will decide 30 assembly seats. The union territory is currently governed by a BJP-backed alliance.
Context and broader issues
– Energy and household supplies: The war in the Middle East has tightened flows of oil and gas, driving up energy prices and triggering India’s worst LPG (cooking gas) shortages in decades. The government has invoked special powers to ration gas supplies to ensure households receive cooking gas.
– Shipping waivers for Iranian cargo: Reuters reported that India has granted waivers on a case-by-case basis to allow certain vessels carrying Iranian cargo into Indian ports, even when the ships were older than usual limits or subject to US sanctions. Officials said waivers were only given where safety parameters were met; examples cited include the 30-year-old LPG tanker Aurora docking at Mangalore and the crude tanker Jaya being allowed to unload.
– Diplomatic and trade moves: Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar is due in the United Arab Emirates from April 11–12 to deepen the strategic partnership with a key trading partner and a major destination for Indian exports and migrant workers. Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri visited Qatar on a two-day trip as tensions in the Gulf threaten energy supplies; Qatar is India’s largest supplier of LPG.
– Economic outlook: The World Bank said India is likely to remain among the fastest-growing major economies despite the Iran war, citing strong macroeconomic buffers such as substantial foreign reserves and a healthy financial sector. The World Bank projected 6.6% growth for the coming year and retail inflation at about 4.9%. The Reserve Bank of India expects 6.9% growth and has projected retail inflation at 4.6%. Meanwhile, the rupee has weakened and was Asia’s worst-performing currency amid external pressures. The World Bank warned that prolonged conflict could raise inflation and fiscal risks, especially given India’s dependence on Gulf energy imports and remittances.
– Fertilizer subsidy hike: To shield farmers from rising input costs linked to global supply shocks, the government raised fertilizer subsidies by about 11% year-on-year and approved updated Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) rates so fertilizers remain affordable. Fertilizer supply has been disrupted by the Gulf conflict, which affects both exports and critical inputs like ammonia and urea.
– Domestic politics and law-and-order pledges: Prime Minister Narendra Modi campaigned in West Bengal promising to tackle corruption, reopen investigations into sexual-assault cases, expel illegal immigrants and protect government employees and teachers if voters choose the BJP. He outlined six guarantees including restoring public confidence in the rule of law and holding those involved in corruption and other crimes to account. West Bengal, governed by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress since 2011, remains a high-stakes battleground.
– High-profile criminal case influence: Modi referenced a widely publicised rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata in 2024 while promising investigations; the victim’s mother is contesting elections as a BJP candidate and blames the TMC leadership for failures in law-and-order.
– Bangladesh extradition demand: Bangladesh’s new government has renewed calls for the extradition of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who was sentenced in absentia to death by a domestic tribunal in Dhaka over alleged involvement in a violent crackdown. Hasina is living in exile in India. Bangladesh’s foreign minister raised the issue during an official visit to New Delhi, a development that has strained bilateral ties and pushed Bangladesh closer to China in recent months.
News coverage
DW’s live coverage highlighted these developments alongside election dispatches, reporting on weather-related disruptions in parts of India and the broader impact of the Middle East conflict on Indian politics, trade and daily life. Voter turnout, campaign narratives and the economic fallout of global tensions will be closely watched as results approach.