Counting of votes in the high-stakes Assembly elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala and Puducherry begins this morning at 8 am and the first trends are expected to be available after an hour — at about 9 am. By 12 noon, a clear picture could well emerge of who the winners are.According to various exit polls shown on TV channels on May 16, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Kerala appeared to have voted for change giving BJP its first government in the northeastern state dislodging Congress which...

Three persons were killed and nearly a dozen injured in violent clashes on Monday in West Bengal's Birbhum district, between suspected supporters of the ruling Trinamool Congress and the BJP. Footage on channels showed scores of armed assailants running through paddy fields in a village and firing country-made guns indiscriminately. Several people suffered bullet injuries; three of them reportedly died at a local hospital. Many houses were also set on fire. No arrests have been made so far,...