Pawan Khera claims Congress "will win strongly in all five states"

New Delhi [India], May 4 : As counting trends of the 2026 Assembly polls in four states and the union territory of Puducherry began to emerge, Congress leader Pawan Khera on Monday said it was still early to draw conclusions and expressed confidence that Congress and its alliance partners would perform strongly across the states.
Talking to reporters, Khera asserted confidence in a broader electoral performance across states, stating, "We are fully confident that the Congress Party and our alliance partners will win strongly in all five states."
Speaking to ANI, Khera said final clarity on results would emerge later in the day and added that democracy would ultimately prevail.
"Wait a little while. It's very early. The situation only begins to become clear by 11, 12 PM, and even then, things can change. Democracy will win. We are confident that we will win in many states where we are contesting directly, where our position is strong," Khera said.
On the Assam elections, he added that the opposition alliance had performed well and indicated a shift in public mood.
Talking to the reporters, he said, "Our allies fought the elections very well, and there's a wave of change there, too. Wait, we'll definitely get the results."
NDA has taken a comfortable early lead in Assam, leading in 40 seats with BJP leading in 32 seats and AGP in 3 seats. The Congress-led alliance has gained a lead in 12 seats as per the ECI. News Channel data shows Himanta Biswa Sarma poised for a return as CM with BJP leading in 85 seats.
These figures have emerged after the Electronic Voting Machine counting began at 08:30 am.
In 2016, the Congress-led alliance, which had ruled the state since 2001, failed to retain power, allowing Himanta Biswa Sarma-led BJP to assume charge. The BJP is looking to retain power for a third term in the state.
Assam went to the polls in a single phase on April 9, with high voter turnout recorded. The BJP-led NDA is seeking a third consecutive term in the state, while the Congress has formed a six-party alliance to mount a strong challenge.
The Election Commission has set up 52 counting centres across 35 districts, including institutions such as Bodoland University, Bhattadev University, Nalbari College and Karimganj College. In several districts, including Lakhimpur and Sivasagar, multi-tier security arrangements have been deployed, with hundreds of officials overseeing the process to ensure transparency and smooth conduct.
Counting began across 823 constituencies in key regions including West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Keralam, Assam, and the Union Territory of Puducherry.