The results of the recent state Assembly elections were among the most dramatic India has seen in years. Anti-incumbency swept out three of four incumbents, the BJP secured a historic win in West Bengal, ending 15 years of TMC rule, and Tamil Nadu had a virtual earthquake with the TVK, contesting its first election, emerging as the largest single party and ex-CM MK Stalin losing his own seat. Taken together, the verdicts mark a significant shift in India's state-level political landscape, with implications for the broader policy environment, coalition dynamics and the contest for 2029.

In this session, R Jagannathan will decode the 2026 verdict state by state, examining the structural drivers behind each outcome, what the results reveal about shifting voter coalitions and what they signal for the national political calculus ahead of 2029. With nearly five decades of political and business journalism behind him, Mr Jagannathan brings a sharp analytical lens to electoral outcomes, cutting through the noise to identify what genuinely changes — and what does not — for business leaders navigating India's policy environment.