The day was dominated by West Bengal's final phase of voting and the subsequent exit polls. Morning coverage focused on Phase 2 polling across 142 seats, with heavy security and sporadic violence. Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP of rigging and the CRPF of atrocities, while BJP alleged EVM tampering with tape over its button in TMC strongholds. By early afternoon, voter turnout reached a record 91% for the phase. After polls closed, exit polls flooded in, with most predicting a BJP win in Bengal and Assam, DMK retaining Tamil Nadu, and UDF returning to power in Kerala. A few outliers showed TMC strong. The Election Commission faced scrutiny over bias accusations. Other stories included PM Modi inaugurating the Ganga Expressway and Iran's FM calling Jaishankar to discuss Hormuz security.