Four states and a Union Territory are on the edge of their seats as counting day arrives for one of India's most consequential regional election cycles.

West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry all headed into Monday, May 4, as counting began at 8 am across thousands of centres, each under tight multi-tier security.

The results will reshape political fortunes across the country, with ripple effects that stretch well beyond state boundaries.

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9:43 pm: In one of the biggest upsets, Suvendu Adhikari defeated Mamata Banerjee winning the Bhabanipur seat, by a margin of around 15,000 votes. She had led in the initial rounds of counting, but Adhikari surged ahead in the final rounds to secure the victory.

Amid the turnaround, Banerjee reportedly sent messages to polling agents and alleged that the Election Commission of India and the BJP were "stealing" the election from her party

9:17 pm: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is suddenly slipping behind BJP's Suvendu Adhikari by over 6,000 votes in the 18th round of the high-voltage Bhabanipur contest. The reversal marks a dramatic shift in a contest where the TMC supremo had earlier built a commanding advantage, only to see it steadily chipped away as the day progressed.

The TMC supremo has alleged BJP has looted more than 100 seats. "I complained to the CO and also Manoj Agrawal, but they are not doing anything. We will bounce back," she told reporters.

8:50 pm: DMK President and Chief Minister M K Stalin said his party bowed before and accepted the people's verdict and asserted that his party which worked well as the ruling party would from now on work well as the main opposition party. In a social media post, Stalin said, "I bow to people's verdict…DMK's political journey will continue without any slackness."

8:00 pm: TVK chief Vijay acknowledges the crowd present outside his parents' house in Chennai. His party has secured a maximum lead in the Tamil Nadu elections.

8:00 pm: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma won the Jalukbari constituency for the sixth consecutive term, defeating Congress candidate Bidisha Neog by 89,434 votes. Sarma's winning margin was 1,01,000 votes in 2021 when he became the chief minister of the state for the first time.

Leader of Opposition in the Assam Assembly Debabrata Saikia of the Congress lost to his nearest BJP rival Mayur Borgohain by 46,701 votes in the Nazira seat, according to the EC data.

7:54 pm: "The Lotus has bloomed due to the hard work and dedication of BJP workers. The 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections will be remembered forever," said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, congratulating BJP workers for the strong performance by NDA candidates in by-polls held in other states as well. He said that the BJP's politics of good governance has triumphed and vowed to fulfil the dreams and aspirations of every person in the state. "I bow to each and every person of West Bengal," he said.

7:22 pm: Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) chief Humayun Kabir won both the Nowda and Rejinagar seats in West Bengal's Murshidabad district. At Nowda, he won by 27,943 votes against BJP's Rana Mandal.

In Rejinagar, he won by 58,876 votes over the BJP's Bapan Ghosh.

Kabir was suspended from the TMC in December over his proposal to build a mosque modelled on Babri Masjid in Beldanga. TMC was at the third spot in this seat as well, with its candidate Ataur Rahaman bagging 41,718 votes.

7:14 pm: Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin secured a victory in the Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni constituency with a margin of 7,140 votes against TVK's Selvam D. The victory reinforces the DMK's stronghold in the historic assembly seat, previously represented by his grandfather and former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi.

7:05 pm: The ruling NDA has secured a majority by winning 70 seats, more than the halfway mark of 68 in the 126-member Assam assembly as the counting progresses in the state, according to the EC data. While the BJP won 58 seats, its allies - the Bodo Peoples' Front (BPF) bagged seven and the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) 5.

7:02 pm: Congress leader V D Satheesan has won from North Paravoor constituency with a margin of over 20,000 votes, defeating CPI(M) candidate E T Taison Master. The win marks his fifth consecutive victory from the constituency since 2001. He had earlier lost the seat to CPI candidate P Raju in 1996.

Congress MP KC Venugopal offers sweets to the Leader of Opposition in Kerala Assembly and UDF candidate from Paravur constituency VD Satheesan,

6:56 pm: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's lead margin is eroding steadily. After 14 rounds of counting, Banerjee was ahead by 3,830 votes, polling 48,671 votes against Adhikari's 44,841, according to Election Commission data.

6:40 pm: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan won from the Dharmadom constituency by a margin of 19,247 votes over Congress candidate V P Abdul Rasheed, who put up a tough fight and polled 66,367 votes against Vijayan's 85,614.

6:37 pm: BJP candidate Bhojarajan M won from Udhagamandalam Assembly constituency by securing 48,488 votes and defeating his nearest rival and TVK candidate Ibrahim R with a slender margin of 976 votes.

6:33 pm: BJP's Pradyut Bordoloi, who switched over from the Congress ahead of the Assam assembly polls, won the prestigious Dispur constituency by defeating Mira Barthakur Goswami by 49,667 votes, according to the Election Commission.

Pradyut Bordoloi

Bordoloi polled 1,03,337 votes, while Goswami of the Congress secured 53,670 votes.

6:30 pm: According to the latest ECI data, the BJP won 44 seats and was leading in 160 others, while the TMC bagged 18 and was ahead in 65 constituencies.

The BJP has secured victory in Kalimpong, Darjeeling, Monteswar, Bhatar, Medinipur, Asansol Dakshin, Mekhliganj, Burwan, Nakasipara, Jamalpur, Raniganj, Jamuria, Khardaha, Jagatballavpur, Jhargram, Saltora and Ranibandh.

The TMC has won in Itahar, Sujapur, Samserganj, Bhagwangola, Bharatpur, Deganga, Kultali and Metiabruz constituencies.

5:52 pm: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin has been defeated by TVK candidate V S Babu in Kolathur Assembly constituency in Chennai by a marging of nearly 8,000 votes

Babu is a former DMK member who served as the North Chennai district secretary and was elected to the Assembly in 2006 from the Purasawalkam constituency. He switched to Vijay's TVK.

According to Election Commission data on Monday, Babu got 82,997 votes at the end of 22nd round and Stalin received 74,202 votes.

5:50 pm: Thirteen members of the 21-member LDF cabinet led by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan have been defeated. Only the Chief Minister, K Rajan (Revenue), G R Anil (Civil Supplies), K N Balagopal (Finance), P Prasad (Agriculture), and Saji Cherian (Cultural Affairs) emerged victorious.

Among the key losers was Health Minister Veena George, who was contesting from Aranmula for the third time.

Education Minister V Sivankutty put up a close fight against BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar in Nemom constituency in Thiruvananthapuram but lost by over 3,500 votes.

5:17 pm: TVK's debut election has reshaped the high-stakes political landscape of Tamil Nadu. The party has won 13 seats and is leading in 95.

DMK has so far won seven seats and is leading in 53, and AIADMK is leading at 45. Congress leads in four seats and registered one win in the Melur constituency with candidate P Viswanathan winning by a margin of 2724 votes, as per EC data.

ECI data for Tamil Nadu at 5:25 pm

4:40 pm: BJP has won the Nemom, Kazhakoottam and Chathannoor constituencies. According to ECI data, BB Gopakumar won Chathannoor by 4,398 votes while Kerala president Rajeev Chandrasekhar is ahead by over 3,500 votes.

In Kazhakoottam, Muraleedharan was ahead by 265 votes after completion of 17 of the 18 rounds of counting.

4:30 pm: The ruling BJP won 15 seats and was ahead in 67 other constituencies, while its ally, the Bodoland People's Front, bagged one seat and was leading in nine, according to the Election Commission.

The Congress was ahead in 20 seats, while BJP's ally Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) was leading in eight constituencies. The Trinamool Congress was ahead in one seat, while an Independent candidate was also leading.

Assam minister Pijush Hazarika won the Jagiroad assembly seat, defeating the Congress nominee by 93,584 votes, according to the Election Commission. The BJP leader will represent the constituency for the fourth straight term.

EC data for Assam polls at 4:30 pm

4:12 pm: EC data at 4:09 pm shows BJP leading in 194 seats in West Bengal and TVK leading at 104 in Tamil Nadu

4:07 pm: The heat is on at Bhabanipur assembly constituency with Mamata Banerjee reaching the counting centre, following allegations that a TMC agent had been forced out.

4:05 pm: Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi faced his first electoral defeat in his political career, losing to veteran BJP leader Hitendranath Goswami by 23,182 votes in the Jorhat assembly constituency.

Kerala PWD Minister P A Mohamed Riyas wins from the Beypore assembly seat

4:02 pm: TV chief Vijay's father, A Chandrashekhar, says he is proud of his son's success. "As a father, I am very happy, and I feel very proud of my son. The people of the state are expecting big things from my son. He will definitely fulfil their expectations," he said.

3:56 pm: The contest at high-profile Bhabanipur Assembly constituency has intensified with supremo Mamata Banerjee securing 44,729 votes against Suvendu Adhikari's 37,545, and just eight more rounds of counting remaining.

3:46 pm: Independent candidate P V Kunhikrishnan won the Payyannur constituency by over 7,000 votes. Formerly with the CPI(M) leader, he was expelled for corruption charges earlier this year.

Contesting as a UDF-backed Independent, Kunhikrishnan defeated CPI(M) sitting MLA T I Madhusoodanan by a margin of 7,487 votes.

BJP Kerala president Rajeev Chandrasekhar is leading in Nemom by over 45,000 votes.

3:36 pm: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma leads by 63,029 votes over his nearest Congress rival Bidisha Neog in the Jalukbari constituency, according to the Election Commission. He is looking to retain the Jalukbari constituency for the sixth consecutive term.

The ruling BJP won three seats and was ahead in 78 other constituencies, while its ally, the Bodoland People's Front, bagged one seat and was leading in nine, according to the Election Commission.

3:22 pm: Vijay's TVK leading in 107 constituencies, DMK moves to second position with 55 at 2.35 pm.

3:16 pm: The CPI(M)-led Left Front, which contested 252 seats in the West Bengal assembly elections, was leading in just one constituency on Monday, according to the Election Commission. Candidate Md Mostafijur Rahaman was leading by 8,877 votes after five rounds of counting.

3:02 pm: BJP candidate Jiban Gogoi won the newly created Sissibargaon constituency in Assam by a margin of 40,593 votes, according to the Election Commission. Gogoi, who contested the election for the first time, polled 75,758 votes. His nearest rival Dulal Chandra Boruah of the Raijor Dal bagged 35,165 votes, it added.

Sissibargaon constituency in Dhemaji district was created after the 2023 delimitation exercise.

2:58 pm: Transport Minister and actor KB Ganesh Kumar, who remained undefeated for over two-and-a-half decades in electoral politics, is on the verge of defeat in the Pathanapuram constituency as counting of votes in the Kerala Assembly elections enters the final stages, according to EC figures.

The Kerala Congress (B) chief is trailing Congress candidate Jyothikumar Chamakkala by over 5,000 votes.

2:53 pm: Vijay's father invites Congress for an alliance in Tamil Nadu, as the TVK is just short of the majority mark of 116 in the Assembly, according to India Today. The party is leading in 110 seats.

2:44 pm: With the TVK leading in more than a hundred constituencies in early trends in the April 23 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, actor-turned-politician Vijay's party has performed well across the state.

It has done especially well in northern districts, including Chennai, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, and Thiruvallur, making significant inroads into the Dravidian majors, according to trends released by the EC.

The TVK has also made its presence felt in central Tamil Nadu, including Tiruchirappalli, Thanjavur, Karur, Perambalur, Ariyalur, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Pudukkottai, and Mayiladuthurai. The DMK and its allies' bastion of Madurai city, comprising north, east, west, central, and south segments, was dominated by the TVK.

TVK made a strong impact in southern districts, including Madurai, Dindigul, Theni, Virudhunagar, Sivaganga, Ramanathapuram, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, and Tenkasi. TVK candidates were also leading in several constituencies in the delta districts, including Thiruvarur, Nagapattinam, and Mayiladuthurai, as well as parts of Salem.

In addition, the TVK made gains in several pockets of Kanyakumari, traditionally a Congress stronghold.

2:39 pm: Now, DMK emerges ahead of the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu, with the MK Stalin party leading in 66 seats vs the Edappadi Palaniswami party's lead in 62 Assembly seats.

2:33 pm: Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi loses to BJP's Hitendra Nath Goswami by 23,182 votes in Jorhat, in a big blow to the party in the northeastern state.

2:26 pm: Congress MLA Chandy Oommen retained his home turf Puthuppally by a massive margin of 52,907 votes. He is the son of former Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.

Chandy got 84,031 votes against CPI (M)'s K M Radhakrishnan, who ended up with 31,124 votes, according to Election Commission data.

2:22 pm: The high-profile Bhabanipur Assembly constituency is looking at a nail-biter contest as TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee's lead margin over BJP's Suvendu Adhikari dipped further to 12,131 votes after 10 of the 20 rounds of counting.

Meanwhile, West Bengal Assembly Speaker and senior TMC leader Biman Banerjee was leading by 12,664 votes over his nearest rival Biswajit Paul of the BJP in Baruipur Paschim assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas district.

2:13 pm: Trinamool Congress deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, Sagarika Ghose, alleged a delay in vote counting in West Bengal, which went to polls in two phases last month.

Ghose, in a post on X, claimed that trends for around 100 seats were not yet uploaded by the Election Commission on its website. "Trends for 100 seats have still not been uploaded by the ECI. Why this delay in counting? Why is counting so slow? Why only one or two rounds counted until now?" Ghose asked in the post.

2:11 pm: TNCC chief K Selvaperunthagai on Monday trailed behind Vijay-led TVK candidate Thennarasu K in Sriperumbudur (SC) assembly constituency, who established a clear lead since the votes were taken up for counting.

At the end of the ninth round of counting, Thennarasu secured 38,394 votes and thus established a clear lead of 14,086 votes to his nearest rival Selvaperunthagai.

2:10 pm: West Bengal minister Aroop Biswas was trailing by a slender margin in the Tollyganj seat in south Kolkata. After five rounds of counting, Biswas was trailing by 624 votes against BJP's Papia Adhikari, a Bengali filmstar of yesteryears. A total of 16 rounds of counting will be held in the seat.

Biswas stepped down as the Sports Minister of the state in the wake of the controversy over the "mismanagement" of the Lionel Messi event at the Salt Lake stadium last December.

2:09 pm: West Bengal minister and TMC heavyweight Moloy Ghatak was leading over his nearest rival Krishnendu Mukherjee of the BJP by 16,525 votes in Asansol Uttar constituency in Paschim Bardhaman seat in West Bengal, the Election Commission said.

Ghatak, the state labour minister, bagged 59,916 votes, while Mukherjee secured 43,391 votes after seven rounds of counting, with seven rounds left.

2:06 pm: Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary celebrated the BJP's success in West Bengal Assembly polls, invoking the memory of Hindutva ideologue Syama Prasad Mookerjee.

"Where Syama Prasad Mookerjee was born, that Bengal is ours. A heartfelt millionfold thanks to the patriotic people of West Bengal for the historic mandate in assembly polls," he posted on social media.

1:59 pm: Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala won by over 23,000 votes against his nearest rival from CPI in the Haripad Assembly seat after 15 rounds of votes polled from there were counted, as per EC figures.

The data on the Election Commission (EC) website, after all 15 rounds of EVM votes were counted, showed that Chennithala secured 68,184 votes, which was 47.08 per cent of the votes polled in the constituency. The senior Congress leader won with a margin of 23,377 votes against his nearest rival - CPI's TT Jismon.

1:53 pm: BJP candidate Rupa Ganguly, a former Rajya Sabha MP of the party, is ahead of her TMC rival in Sonarpur Dakshin constituency, according to the Election Commission.

After five rounds of counting, the actor-politician is leading by 12,633 votes over TMC's Arundhuti Moitra (Lovely), who is contesting for a re-election from the constituency.

1:49 pm: In Tamil Nadu, the DMK and the AIADMK are neck-and-neck in their leads, with the former ahead in 60 seats and the latter leading in 64 seats.

1:45 pm: As of 1:45 pm, the BJP's lead in West Bengal is over twice that of the Trinamool Congress. The saffron party is leading in 193 seats vs the TMC's lead in 95.

1:41 pm: IUML, which is putting up a strong performance in the Kerala Assembly elections, on Monday credited the UDF's teamwork for the alliance's resounding showing. The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) is leading in 23 of the 27 seats it contested in the Assembly polls.

IUML state president Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal said the UDF was on course to win around 100 seats. "This is the result of the UDF's teamwork reflected in the election. The rest of the matters will be decided after discussions within the UDF," he said.

1:31 pm: Celebrations erupt at the BJP offices across West Bengal and Delhi as the party is set to win Bengal for the first time and continue to remain in power in Assam, while supporters of Vijay's TVK gather outside his residence in Chennai to mark his great show in the Tamil Nadu Assembly polls.

Celebrations also erupted at the Congress office in Kerala, with the Grand Old Party set to come back to power after a decade in the southern state.

1:30 pm: Aam Janata Unnayan Party chief Humayun Kabir was leading in the Nowda and Rejinagar seats of West Bengal's Murshidabad district as counting of votes progressed on Monday.

According to the Election Commission website, Kabir, who was suspended from the TMC over his proposal to build a mosque modelled on Babri Masjid in Murshidabad district, led in the Nowda seat by 8,212 votes over his nearest rival after the eighth round of counting.

In Rejinagar, he was leading by an overwhelming 20,053 seats over the BJP's Bapan Ghosh after the fourth round of counting.

1:26 pm: The pro-incumbency factor is continuing in Assam, while anti-incumbency has worked in favour of the saffron party in the West Bengal Assembly polls, Telangana BJP president N Ramchander Rao said.

Reacting to poll trends favouring the BJP in West Bengal and Assam, he said the DMK was being pushed to third position in Tamil Nadu Assembly poll trends, as people in the southern state wanted the DMK-Congress alliance out of power.

"One (Assam) reflects pro-incumbency, while the other (West Bengal) reflects anti-incumbency. So wherever the BJP is in power, pro-incumbency continues, whether at the national or state level," the BJP leader told PTI, alleging that "corruption" in the incumbent TMC government in the eastern state was also a factor behind its possible defeat.

1:24 pm: The ruling Congress is leading in both the Bagalkot and Davanagere South Assembly seats in Karnataka, where counting of votes is underway for the bypolls held on April 9. The bypolls were necessitated by the deaths of senior Congress MLAs HY Meti (Bagalkot) and Shamanur Shivashankarappa (Davanagere South).

According to the Election Commission, Congress's Umesh Meti was ahead of BJP's Veerabhadrayya Charantimath by a margin of 17,205 votes. In Davanagere South, Congress' Samarth Mallikarjun, who was trailing earlier in the day, is now leading ahead of BJP's Srinivasa T Dasakariyappa by a margin of 7,916 votes.

1:13 pm: The Congress in Kerala thanked the people of the state for what it termed a "thumping victory," as trends in the April 9 Assembly polls indicated a decisive edge for the UDF.

Addressing mediapersons at the party headquarters here, KPCC president Sunny Joseph said the emerging verdict was a clear rejection of the CPI(M)-led LDF government's "anti-people policies." "The counting of votes is still progressing. The present trend indicates that the people of the state are giving the UDF a historic victory," he said.

1:03 pm: The Election Commission (EC) trends at 1 pm show the BJP leading in 184 seats in West Bengal, against the TMC's lead in 93 seats. The party is set to form the government for the first time ever in the contentious state.

The saffron party is also well ahead in 79 Assembly seats in Assam, over three-times that of the Congress' lead in 24 seats.

In Kerala, the Congress is ahead in 63 seats vs the CPI(M) in 25 seats. In Tamil Nadu, the TVK is leading in 110, short of seven seats to form the majority.

12:59 pm: BJP candidate Daochier I Imchen won the by-election to the Koridang Assembly segment in Nagaland by 3,123 votes, according to the Election Commission.

He secured 7,317 votes, defeating Independent candidate Toshikaba, who polled 4,194 votes. With this victory, Imchen enters the 14th Nagaland assembly as the youngest legislator at 35.

12:58 pm: BJP candidate Sabitri Barman is leading in north Bengal's Sitalkuchi constituency, where alleged firing by CAPF jawans to quell a violent protest during the 2021 Assembly polls had claimed four lives.

Barman is leading by 20,340 votes over her nearest rival Harihar Das of the TMC after seven rounds of counting, according to Election Commission data.

12:53 pm: Riding a sympathy wave, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP head Sunetra Pawar was far ahead of her rivals and poised for a huge victory in the Baramati Assembly bypoll as vote counting progressed.

In the Rahuri Assembly seat byelection, BJP's Akshay Kardile was ahead of his rivals, as per trends available so far on the Election Commission's website.

Sunetra Pawar secured 70,642 votes by the end of the eighth round of counting on Monday, while 21 of the other 22 little-known candidates have not been able to cross the 200-vote mark so far.

12:48 pm: The Congress has managed to increase its tally in Puducherry by three from the previous Assembly elections in the Union Territory. It is leading in 11 seats, still less than the NR Congress' (NRC) lead in 15 seats.

12:46 pm: Mother of the RG Kar rape-murder victim and BJP candidate Ratna Debnath was leading by 5,067 votes over the Trinamool Congress nominee in Panihati assembly constituency after the second round of counting, EC data said.

Debnath bagged 13784 votes while the TMC's Tirthankar Ghosh secured 8717 votes.

12:41 pm: TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, in a video message, urged her party workers and activists to stay at the counting centre. "The central government is not allowing our party workers and is stopping them. Be at the counting centre," she said.

12:39 pm: Congress-led UDF workers broke into euphoric celebrations at Indira Bhavan on Monday as early trends in the April 9 Assembly polls pointed to the front's emphatic return to power in Kerala after a decade.

A sea of jubilant workers flooded the KPCC headquarters, raising slogans, beating drums, and distributing sweets as giant television screens showed the UDF steadily climbing past the halfway mark and then surging to nearly the 100-seat mark in the 140-member Assembly.

12:25 pm:India Today reports violence outside a counting centre in Asansol in West Bengal.

8:53 am: BJP ahead in 69 seats in West Bengal vs the Trinamool Congress leading in 45 Assembly seats. The saffron party is also comfortably ahead in Assam's 44 Assembly seats against the Congress leading in 14, according NDTV reporting early trends.

8:45 am: DMK comfortably ahead of the AIADMK, with the MK Stalin-led party leading in 40 seats.

8:43 am: Leader of Opposition and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari is leading in the TMC stronghold of Nandigram, which has been a prestige battleground in the state election.

8:39 am: According to TV9 Bangla, the TMC was leading in around 69 seats in West Bengal, while the BJP was ahead in 65 seats. Zee 24 Ghanta showed the BJP leading in 79 seats and the TMC in 63.

Figures from Republic Bangla indicated that the BJP was ahead in 38 seats, while the TMC was leading in 15. ABP Ananda showed a close contest, with the BJP leading in 54 seats and the TMC in 51.

8:35 am: BJP's Suvendu Adhikari leading in postal votes in Bhabanipur in West Bengal, where TMC chief Mamata Banerjee is trailing. This was one of the big battles to watch in the state where the two leaders are going head-to-head.

8:32 am: The ruling BJP was leading in 10 of the 126 Assembly constituencies in Assam, while the opposition Congress was ahead in six, according to initial trends shown by television channels.

8:28 am: BJP and TMC are leading in 12 seats each in West Bengal, as a neck-and-neck competition emerges.

8:26 am: The ruling BJP was leading in 10 of the 126 Assembly constituencies in Assam, while the opposition Congress was ahead in six, according to initial trends shown by television channels.

8:23 am: Congress is leading in nine seats in Kerala. The LDF is leading in four, while the BJP is leading in one seat in the initial counting of votes.

8:18 am: BJP leading in Assam, which even the exit polls predicted.

8:17 am: Congress-led UDF leading in seven seats in Kerala against the LDF leading in two.

8:13 am: Trinamool Congress leads on 5 seats versus the BJP on 2 in West Bengal, the most watched state in this edition of Assembly polls.

8:07 am: Vijay-led TVK gets first lead in Tamil Nadu. Likely to be postal ballots. In Kerala, the Congress-led UDF gets early leads. However, it's a long way to go!

8:00 am: Counting of votes begins. In Bengal, the verdict is set to decide whether the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC returns to power for a fourth consecutive term or the BJP scripts history by forming its first government in the state.

7:55 am: Strong rooms across the four states of West Bengal, Assam, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, as well as the Union Territory of Puducherry, have been opened as counting set to begin at 8 am.

7:51 am: West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Agarwal said all preparations are in place for the counting of votes. "All the halls are ready, there are 458 halls, and everything is set. Micro-observers have also been arranged wherever required," he said.