India, April 29 -- The first exit poll projections of the 2026 assembly election season are out, and two prominent agencies - Matrize and People's Pulse - have now released projections across all five poll-bound states and the Union Territory of Puducherry.

While the two agencies broadly agree on Tamil Nadu, Assam and Puducherry, they are dramatically at odds on West Bengal - the single biggest battleground of this election season.

If Matrize's numbers - the first exit poll projections of the 2026 assembly elections - hold on result day, the country is headed for a dramatic May 4. The agency's projections point to a historic change of guard in West Bengal and Kerala, a comfortable DMK retention in Tamil Nadu, and a third successive term...