TODAY NEWS ON May 05, 2026
TVK chief Vijay makes stunning debut, disrupts T.N.’s bipolar politics but falls short of magic figure
Tamil cinema’s top actor C. Joseph Vijay’s fledgling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) on Monday (May 4, 2026) made a stunning electoral debut, emerging as the single largest party with 108 seats in the 17th Tamil Nadu Assembly election. In doing so, it disrupted a nearly half-century-old bipolar landscape dominated by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). Taking on multi-party fronts led by the two Dravidian majors, the TVK, powered almost entirely by Mr. Vijay’s charisma, fell just 10 seats short of the halfway mark in the 234-member House. The party secured an impressive 35% vote share, polling over 1.6 crore votes across regions, communities, and religions. Mr. Vijay himself won from both Perambur and Tiruchi East.
Trinamool ousted as BJP sweeps West Bengal
Riding high on an anti-incumbency against the 15-year-old Trinamool Congress government, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept the West Bengal Assembly elections with the party set to form the government in the State for the first time. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee lost the Bhabanipur seat to BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari by 15,105 votes.
Voters deliver a decisive victory for the Congress-led UDF in Kerala Assembly election
Voters in Kerala delivered a decisive victory to the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in the Assembly election, ending 10 years of Left Democratic Front (LDF) rule. Riding an anti-incumbent wave, the UDF won 102 seats, relegating the LDF to 35 and rebounding from its electoral wipeout in the Assembly elections in 2016 and again in 2021.
BJP-led NDA scores hat-trick in Assam
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Monday (May 4, 2026) scripted a record victory in the Assam Assembly elections, bagging 102 of the 126 seats to retain power for a third straight term. The BJP won 82 seats— 18 more than the simple majority mark of 64 — while its regional allies, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Bodoland People’s Front (BPF), won 10 seats each.
Puducherry Assembly Election 2026:NDA set to return to power in Puducherry
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the All India N. R. Congress (AINRC) headed by Chief Minister N. Rangasamy, is set to return to power, winning 18 out of the total 30 seats in the Puducherry Assembly. Mr. Rangasamy’s AINRC leads the tally in the NDA by securing 12 seats, followed by the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) four seats, and one seat each won by the All India Anna Dravida Munntera Kazhagam (AIADMK) and Latchiya Jananayaga Katchi (LJK), the latter headed by businessman Jose Charles Martin, son of lottery baron Santiago Martin.
With defeat in Kerala, Left out of power for first time since 1977
With its defeat in the Kerala Assembly election, the Left parties are not in power in any State for the first time since 1977. The setback has sharpened questions over the political strategy of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)]. During its campaign, the Congress had accused the ruling party of colluding with the BJP, with the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, branding the CPI(M) as the “Communist Janata Party”.
Assembly elections: Results in four States, U.T. triumph of democracy and Constitution, says Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday described the outcomes of the elections in four States and a Union Territory as a triumph of democracy and the Constitution, suggesting that voters chose stability and development amid the crisis in West Asia and broader global turmoil. He was addressing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers at the party headquarters in Delhi. Mr. Modi attributed the BJP’s electoral success in West Bengal, Assam, and Puducherry to voters and lakhs of party workers who fought elections on the ground. He paid tribute to his colleagues and their families who sacrificed their lives for the party’s cause over the years, particularly in States like West Bengal and Kerala.
Assam, Bengal clear cases of elections being stolen by BJP, claims Rahul Gandhi
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged on Monday (May 4, 2026) that Assam and West Bengal are clear cases of polls being “stolen” by the BJP with the support of the Election Commission of India (ECI). Mr. Gandhi said his party agrees with Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee that more than 100 seats were stolen in West Bengal.
Three Indians injured after fire breaks out in UAE’s Fujairah due to drone attack
Three Indian nationals were injured on Monday (May 4, 2026) after a fire broke out on the Fujairah Petroleum Industries Zone (FOIZ) in the UAE following a drone strike originating from Iran, according to local media reports. The relevant authorities in the eastern emirate of Fujairah confirmed that a fire has broken out in the FOIZ, resulting from a drone attack coming from Iran, the state-run WAM news agency reported.
SC nixes Odisha’s ‘odious’ bail conditions to Adivasi, Dalit accused to clean police stations
When the Odisha judiciary set “odious” bail conditions, like cleaning police stations for two months, for members of Adivasi and Dalit communities, it suggested that judges had a “regressive mindset” and caste-based biases, the Supreme Court said on Monday (May 4, 2026). “Assuming that such conditions were imposed inadvertently or without any premeditated bias, the nature of the condition is so abhorrent, degrading, and unknown to law that it carries the potential to cast a serious aspersion, suggesting that the Odisha Judiciary is afflicted by a caste-based bias,” a Bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi observed in a seven-page order.
SC flags ‘risk’ of misuse in transgender self-identification debate
The Supreme Court on Monday (May 4, 2026) flagged the “danger” of persons masquerading as transgender to avail welfare benefits and reservations in government jobs, while hearing multiple petitions challenging a law that removes the right to self-identification. The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Act, 2026 requires a government-appointed medical board’s favourable recommendation for a District Magistrate to certify an individual as a transgender person.
SC seeks Centre’s response on Christian Michel James’ plea in AgustaWestland case
The Supreme Court on Monday (May 4, 2026) sought the Centre’s response on a petition filed by Christian Michel James, the alleged middleman in the ₹3,600-crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper case, seeking release from custody on the ground that he has already undergone the maximum sentence for the offences for which he was extradited. A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta issued notice to the Centre, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), directing them to file their responses within four weeks.
Armed man shot by U.S. Secret Service near White House
An armed man was shot by U.S. Secret Service (USSS) agents in downtown Washington on Monday (May 4, 2026), officials said, prompting a brief lockdown of the nearby White House. The shooting near the National Mall occurred shortly after a motorcade carrying Vice-President J.D. Vance had passed by the area, USSS Deputy Director Matthew Quinn said. Mr. Quinn told reporters he did not believe that the Vice-President was an intended target and said he could not speculate if it was related to recent attempts on the life of President Donald Trump.
Iran military says U.S. forces will be attacked if they enter Strait of Hormuz
Iran warned on Monday (May 4, 2026) that it would consider any U.S. attempt to interfere in the Strait of Hormuz a breach of the West Asia ceasefire, as U.S. President Donald Trump said the United States would begin escorting ships through the blocked waterway. Iran’s military said that U.S. forces would be attacked if they entered the Strait of Hormuz, after U.S. President Donald Trump announced Washington would begin escorting ships through the blocked waterway.
Ukraine and Russia declare separate truces
Russia on Monday (May 4, 2026) declared a unilateral ceasefire with Ukraine between May 8 and May 9, when Moscow marks its annual World War II Victory Day commemorations, and threatened a “massive missile strike” on Kyiv if Ukraine violated it. Ukraine responded by declaring a truce of its own between May 5 and May 6, saying it was “not serious” to expect it to observe a ceasefire during a Russian military holiday.
Two killed after car hits bystanders in Leipzig driver arrested
Two people were killed and others were injured on Monday (May 4, 2026) when a car drove into a central pedestrian zone of the eastern German city of Leipzig, Mayor Burkhard Jung told journalists at the scene. Police arrested the driver and said there was no further danger. “We don’t know the motivation. We don’t know anything about the culprit,” Mr. Jung said in a video message posted by local media outlet Leipziger Volkszeitung.
IPL 2026: Rickelton, Rohit combine to power MI past LSG
After three weeks on the sidelines nursing a hamstring injury, Rohit Sharma made a grand return to IPL 2026 at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday. Rohit wasted little time reminding everyone of his class, producing 84 off 44 balls (6x4, 7x6) to breathe life back into Mumbai Indians’ flickering playoff hopes and script a commanding six-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants.
LAST MONTHS G.K.
X