Why it could be an ‘election of records’ for Mamata Banerjee, Pinarayi Vijayan and ‘Thalapathy’ Vijay

E-PaperSubscribeSubscribeEnjoy unlimited accessSubscribe Now! Get features like The 2026 assembly elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala could become an ‘election of records’ as vote counting began for the high-stakes contests in these states, where regional Opposition leaders are seeking consecutive terms and hoping to keep the BJP-led NDA out of power in their respective regions. It is a major contest for Mamata Banerjee, Pinarayi Vijayan and first-time challenger Vijay. (AI-generated image)Apart from these states, votes are also being counted in Assam and the Union territory of Puducherry, making it the biggest single day of election results since the 2024 polls. It is a major contest for Mamata Banerjee, Pinarayi Vijayan and first-time challenger Vijay, and could turn into an ‘election of records’ for all three leaders. Follow election results live here. The TMC chief came to power in West Bengal in 2011 after ousting the CPI(M), which had ruled the state for more than 30 years. Since then, ‘Didi’ has remained in power and won the next two assembly elections, taking her total to three successive victories. If the 2026 assembly elections go in her favour, she would secure a fourth straight term as chief minister, becoming the first woman in India to win four consecutive assembly mandates as chief minister of a major state. That would be one of the biggest milestones. No woman chief minister of a large state has matched four consecutive direct assembly wins as the incumbent CM. For now, ‘Didi’ is tied with the late Congress leader Sheila Dikshit, who served as Delhi CM, and late AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa, who served as Tamil Nadu CM. Both served for three consecutive terms. That would make it four straight assembly wins under her leadership in a major state, something no other woman chief minister has clearly achieved. Moving from the east to southern India, debutant actor-politician Vijay is contesting a crucial solo election against political heavyweights, DMK and AIADMK. If Vijay takes his party to power in its first full assembly election, it would be a big feat. But that would not be the only achievement. Tamil Nadu has had actor chief ministers before, including MG Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa, but both rose through the established AIADMK structure. A Vijay win through a newly formed party would place him among the few Indian film stars to turn personal popularity into immediate state power, and make him the first major film star in decades to directly win power through a new party. Further south, a possible victory for CPI(M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan in Kerala could also script history for the Left Democratic Front (LDF) leader in the state. Kerala has traditionally switched between the Left Democratic Front and the United Democratic Front (UDF) in almost every election. In 2021, Pinarayi Vijayan had already broken that pattern by winning back-to-back terms. If he wins again, it would mean three straight victories for the Left, something almost unheard of in Kerala’s modern electoral history.