Assembly Elections 2016 India - Latest News, Results, Updates, Photos

Election campaigns in the southern states have a different flavour, but what adds even more colour are the live translations of speeches that leaders from other states make. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been at the receiving end of poor translations twice in the past.

In December 2015 at Thrissur, the PM tried apologizing to the gathered public for arriving late but the translator, K Surendran, the BJP general secretary in Kerala, translated it to something else sending the others present on the dias in a tizzy.

“First of all I have to apologize to the people here in Kerala because I am late in coming here. I should have come sooner. But now, I promise that this will not happen,” said the Prime Minister but the BJP general secretary translated it in Malayalam as, "I am very happy to arrive here in Kerala. From a long time, I have made regular visits to Kerala. But now the situation here in Kerala is not the same. There are big changes taking places here. I am very happy." Snippets from this video then went viral in Kerala. After a brief interruption, the translator later corrected when the error was pointed out. Watch video about the K Surendran's Speech Translation of Narendra Modi in Kerala.

Assembly Elections 2016

West Bengal assembly polls: 50,000 security personnel to guard last phase

Close to 50,000 security personnel, including 361 companies of central forces, have been deployed to ensure that polling for the sixth and last phase of West Bengal elections is held in a free and fair manner.

Assembly Elections Commission officials said 123 companies of central forces are manning Coochbehar district while another 238 companies are stationed in East Midnapore district.

Another contingent of 4,500 state police personnel, have been deployed to assist the central forces in Coochbehar while 7,500 personnel are in East Midnapore district.

Together, the two districts have 25 constituencies going to the hustings tomorrow.

Assembly Elections 2016: Political parties go all out to woo enclave voters

With the enclave residents all set to vote for the first time since Independence, the new voters are being aggressively wooed by various political parties, who are taking credit for resolving the 68-year old border dispute.

"It is our government which has resolved this enclave problem. None of the previous state governments could address the same. But we had solved this problem and given you the rights," Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee said at various rallies in Coochbehar district.

Banerjee's comments are echoed by party's district President Rabindranath Ghosh who promised to usher in development if TMC won in Coochbehar.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is heading the National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre, also took the credit of resolving the enclave problems.

"It was our government at the Centre that took the initiative and solved the problem. We have been with the people of enclaves from the very beginning and our government has been very proactive," BJP National Secretary Rahul Sinha said.

Assembly Elections Result: The 51 enclaves are spread across Dinhata, Mekliganj, Sitai, Sitalkuchi and Toofanganj Assembly constituencies, with over 14,864 residents, has over 9,776 registered voters.

The six Assembly constituencies were Mekhliganj (584), Sitalkuchi (1,980), Sitai (1,362), Dinhata (5,605), Natabari (0) and Tufanganj (9).

Out of 9,540 eligible voters, 9,209 enrolled themselves to vote on May 5 in 41 polling stations. There were 567 more voters among the 922 people in the settlements in Coochbehar.

In the Sitalkuchi and Sitai Assembly constituencies, where TMC and its then alliance partner Congress had won with a slender margin of 257 and 1,577 votes, respectively, in last assembly polls, the votes of enclave dwellers could play a vital role as well as in Dinhata.

Striking a different note, the CPI(M), however, refuted the claims by TMC and BJP and said that both the parties had stalled the enclave exchange during the United Progressive Alliance rule.

"Both the parties have stalled the process of enclave exchange during UPA rule. It was the rehabilitation package that ensured that the state agreed to give a nod to the enclave exchange," CPI(M) Politburo member Mohammed Salim said.More news about Elections.

Assembly Elections 2016 India

With the campaign intensifying for the May 16 Assembly Elections 2016 in the state, rebel candidates and namesakes are posing a threat to winning prospects of candidates, especially to those of Congress-led UDF, in some constituencies in Kerala.

While UDF candidates face the rebel threat the most, including on many seats they currently hold, CPI(M)-ledLDF and BJP-led NDA seem to have less number of rebels according to the final candidates' list.

The last date for withdrawing nominations ended on Monday and 1203 candidates are in the fray for 140 seats.

Assembly Elections : Even though the main battle is between UDF and LDF, the NDA has made the electoral contest triangular in many constituencies.

K C Joseph, state's minister for rural development and a close confidant of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, who is seeking eighth term to the Assembly from Irikkur, is among the prominent UDF candidates facing rebel threat.

It is significant that Joseph's candidature had been objected to by local Congress workers. However, ignoring the protest, the party leadership decided to field him.

Rebel Congress leader Binoy Thomas is taking on Joseph under the banner 'Save Congress'. Sitting MLAs P C Vishnunath (Chengannur), K M Shaji (Azhikode), and Domenic Presentation (Kochi) are also facing the rebel threat.

Former MLA Shobhana George, who was denied ticket this time, is actively campaigning against Vishnunath.

Once a strong loyalist of former chief minister late K Karunakaran, Shobhana had filed her nomination papers in the last Assembly polls also. But she withdrew at the last minute following the intervention by senior party leaders.

Assembly Elections Results : However, Shobhana refused to budge to the party leadership pressure this time. She said she has decided to contest this time as the party leadership "failed" to meet the promise that she would be given a ticket this time.

K M Shaji, who is contesting against CPI(M)'s journalist-turned candidate M V Nikesh Kumar, is facing a huge threat from P K Ragesh, who came into the limelight after winning as rebel against the official candidate in the last civic polls.

Former district panchayat member K J Lenus is threatening the winning prospects of Kochi MLA Domenic Presentation while Kerala Congress (M) leader C F Thomas is facing stiff challenge from Youth Congress leader K Suresh who is contesting as an Independent in Changanassery.

Namesakes, who ensured many prominent candidates did not win in the previous polls, are in fray in some constituencies this time as well.

RMP candidate in Vadakara and widow of TP Chandrasekharan, KK Rema, is one of the contestants facing such a threat.

UDF's K S Sabarinathan and K Babu, LDF's Antony Raju and M Swaraj are also facing similar threats in their respective constituencies. See more Elections news.