April 23, 2026 — New Delhi
Voters in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal went to the polls today after intense campaigns and disputes over electoral rolls.
West Bengal: By 11:00 a.m. local time turnout was 41.11%. The voting is taking place against a prolonged revision of the voter list that led to nearly one million deletions. Polling has been largely peaceful, though clashes were reported in Murshidabad. Phase 1 covers 152 constituencies; Phase 2 is scheduled for April 29.
Tamil Nadu: Polling opened for all 234 assembly seats. At 9:00 a.m. the state recorded 17.69% turnout. About 57.3 million eligible voters will choose among 4,023 candidates at more than 75,000 polling stations. Around 1.46 million first-time voters are expected. Key contenders include the ruling DMK, the opposition AIADMK, actor Vijay’s new TVK party, and NTK.
Voting logistics and transport: Thousands travelling from cities to their hometowns faced severe traffic and public-transport disruption, especially in Chennai. TVK leader Vijay urged the Election Commission to extend polling hours by two hours and to provide special bus services. The State Transport Corporation said it had arranged roughly 2,000 special buses, but many passengers called this inadequate and some staged protests at bus terminals.
Central government and policy notes:
– Fuel prices: The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas denied reports of an imminent petrol and diesel price hike, saying no such proposal is under consideration after a market report suggested a steep post-election increase.
– Online gaming: New rules for the online gaming industry take effect May 1. They distinguish esports from real‑money gaming, allow the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to classify games as Online Money Games, Online Social Games or esports, and require platforms to enforce age gates, time limits, grievance redressal and penalties for non-compliance.
– Education: The National Human Rights Commission ordered a pan‑India audit within 30 days after complaints that private schools were prescribing costly textbooks. Notices were issued to the Union Education Ministry, CBSE and all states and union territories; NCERT has been asked to explain its role within 15 days.
International developments:
– Iran publicly defended India and China after former US president Donald Trump reshared an anti-immigrant post calling them “hellholes,” with the Iranian consulate in Hyderabad criticizing Trump.
– Security at sea: Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it fired on three vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and seized two container ships, detaining them for allegedly tampering with navigation systems. One seized ship, the Epaminondas, was reportedly bound for Gujarat from Jebel Ali.
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