'Misrule of Pinarayi Government Will End In 26 Days': Kerala LoP Satheesan After EC Announce Poll Dates

Kochi: Opposition Leader in Kerala Assembly V. D. Satheesan on Monday said the "misrule" of the Pinarayi government would end in 26 days after the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the schedule for the Assembly elections. Satheesan also expressed confidence that the United Democratic Front (UDF) would secure a decisive victory in the state.

"... The election dates have been declared by the Election Commission. In just 26 days, the misrule of the Pinarayi government will come to an end. We have already submitted a chargesheet against this government before the people, and we trust that the people of Kerala will put that charge sheet to the test in this election. We are confident of winning more than 100 out of 140 seats in Kerala," he said.

Speaking to ANI, Satheesan further said, "The UDF contests with full confidence because we have won almost all the by-elections with great margins. We secured 18 out of 20 seats in the Parliament elections, and we achieved a historic victory in the local body elections, the biggest in the last 30 years..."

The ECI on Sunday announced the schedule for Assembly elections in four states--West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Assam--along with the Union Territory of Puducherry. According to the schedule, Kerala and Assam will vote in a single phase on April 9. Polling in West Bengal will be conducted in two phases on April 23 and April 29, while Tamil Nadu will go to the polls on April 23. Voting in Puducherry will also take place on April 9. 

The counting of votes for all four states and Puducherry will be held on May 4, the ECI announced. In addition to the Assembly polls, the Commission also announced by-elections for six seats across six states--Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Nagaland, and Tripura--which will be conducted in two phases.

The first phase, covering constituencies in Goa, Karnataka, Nagaland, and Tripura, will have polling on April 9, while the second phase in Gujarat and Maharashtra will take place on April 23. Following the announcement, the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) came into immediate effect in all poll-bound regions.

The 2026 Kerala Legislative Assembly election will be held in a single phase on April 9, with vote counting scheduled for May 4. Around 2.7 crore electors are expected to participate in the election. The last date for filing nominations is March 23, scrutiny will take place on March 24, and candidates can withdraw their nominations until March 26.

Following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the state electoral roll, the final voter list for Kerala was released on February 21. The revised roll includes 2,69,53,644 voters--1,31,26,048 male voters, 1,38,27,319 female voters, and 227 third-gender voters. Among them, 4,24,518 voters belong to the 18-19 age group.

Overall, the elections will cover 824 Assembly constituencies with a total electorate of about 17.4 crore voters. Nearly 2.19 lakh polling stations will be set up, and around 25 lakh personnel will be deployed to conduct the elections. The terms of the current assemblies are set to end on different dates: May 23 in Kerala, May 7 in West Bengal, May 10 in Tamil Nadu, May 20 in Assam, and June 15 in Puducherry.

Satheesan also spoke on the Sabarimala issue and criticised the state government for not having a clear stance. He said, "The government is going to file another affidavit before the Supreme Court; it is very vague. This government does not have any clear stance on Sabarimala."

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