A Look At India's Assembly Polls In 2026: Women's Participation, Campaigns, & More

The year 2026 will prove fateful for India, as several states will hold state assembly elections. As the country gears up for ‘One Nation, One Election’ debates, parties across West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala ramp up their rollout of policies targeted towards women to ensure the votes from this emerging section of the population.

Here’s a state-wise breakdown:

West Bengal

The main battle for the public faith is to be fought between the incumbent chief minister Mamta Banerjee, supported by nephew Abhishek Banerjee of TMC, and BJP headliners Sukanta Majumdar, Suvendu Adhikari, and Dilip Ghosh, who are backed by PM Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

National Congress Party’s Adhir Ranjan Chowdary is challenging both TMC and BJP as the three argue about issues related to border security and control, migrant workers, and misuse of power and accountability.  

West Bengal’s political landscape ahead of the elections is shaped by women-focused welfare schemes and the broader debate they have triggered about governance, agency and democratic accountability.

Flagship programmes such as Kanyashree Prakalpa, aimed at promoting girls’ education and preventing early marriage; Lakshmir Bhandar, which provides ₹500–₹1,000 per month to women heads of households; and Rupashree Prakalpa, a one-time marriage grant for low-income families, have become defining features of the Trinamool Congress’s (TMC) rule. 

These schemes are widely credited with improving educational outcomes, easing household financial stress and enhancing women’s visibility within the welfare architecture of the state.

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu politics ahead of 2026 is marked by Alliance tensions between Congress and DMK and Aggressive welfare populism by the ruling DMK in forms of cash transfers, free goods, subsidies, or social schemes and other immediate benefits in order to gain or retain popular electoral support.

Schemes such as the ₹1,000 monthly financial assistance to women, along with the Pongal cash transfer and subsidised essentials, are designed to consolidate women’s support across caste and regional lines, a strategy that proved electorally effective in 2021.

Also important is the grassroots mobilisation by the BJP along the lines of issues such as shortages and women’s safety, and the growing efforts to empower women politically, especially at the local level.

Assam

BJP, Congress and regional parties fight for power in this state, fraught with issues related to land rights, flood relief, infiltration and identity politics. Incumbent Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and the BJP focus on mobilisation on the grassroots level to retain power, while Congress’s Gaurav Gogoi offers an alternative approach.

The BJP-led Assam government has intensified the rollout of its flagship women-focused self-employment scheme, the Mukhya Mantri Mahila Udyamita Abhiyaan (MMUA), positioning women’s economic empowerment at the centre of its governance.

Launched in April last year, the programme provides ₹10,000 as seed capital to women members of self-help groups across all 35 districts to support small entrepreneurial activities.

The government has framed the initiative as a move to transform beneficiaries into “Nari-preneurs” emphasising women’s role as income generators rather than passive recipients of welfare. 

On the other hand, the Congress has launched a grassroots outreach campaign titled ‘Raijor Padulit Raijor Congress’ to reconnect with voters.

The initiative aims to gather public aspirations by targeting groups such as tea garden workers, farmers, women’s collectives, students and rural communities as the party plans to use the feedback to shape its manifesto.

Kerala

Polarised politics, gender questions, and credibility battles will shape Kerala’s political discourse ahead of the Assembly election.

Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan announced that the Congress plans to allocate up to 50 per cent of its Assembly tickets to women and young candidates, in line with AICC policy and Rahul Gandhi’s push for generational and gender renewal within the party. 

The recent defection of senior CPI(M) leader Aisha Potty to the Congress, citing neglect and ideological differences, has further highlighted churn within Kerala’s political landscape and debates over inclusion and opportunity.

BJP has also intensified focus on strengthening the Mahila Morcha, underscoring the importance of women voters, highlighting welfare, safety and empowerment initiatives for women. 

India gears up to vote 

Political analysts note that these welfare overdrives are attempts to neutralise anti-incumbency and retain traditional vote banks. Yet, while women are at the centre of campaign messaging, their presence in positions of political power continues to be limited, exposing a disconnect between electoral outreach and representation.

Stories of aspirants like V. Margatham from Cuddalore and Nilavazhagi S from Tiruvallur and political training programs illustrate how women often enter politics with strong social motivation but little institutional support, constrained further by caregiving responsibilities and male-dominated decision-making structures.

Cash-transfer schemes such as Lakshmir Bhandar are viewed as both essential entitlements as well as tools of electoral mobilisation that blur the boundary between welfare and political loyalty.

Together, these highlight a critical tension in gender politics: while women are increasingly courted as voters and symbols of social justice, the struggle to convert that visibility into real political power and leadership remains ongoing.

Views expressed are the author's own.