New Delhi, April 9: Voting for the assembly elections in Kerala, Assam, and Puducherry began at 7 AM today. Early reports indicate lower voter turnout in Kerala compared to Assam and Puducherry in the first two hours.
According to the Election Commission, Assam recorded a voter turnout of 17.87% by 9 AM. In comparison, Puducherry saw 17.41% and Kerala had 16.23% during the same period.
In Assam, Majuli district reported the highest turnout at 20.03%, followed by Morigaon at 19.96%, Darrang at 19.74%, Goalpara at 19.66%, and Jorhat at 19.01%. Conversely, Kamrup district had the lowest turnout at 15.36% by 9 AM.
In Kerala, Ernakulam district led with a turnout of 17.80%, while Kasaragod had the lowest at 15.08%.
Kerala has 883 candidates contesting, averaging six to seven candidates per seat. The state has 2.7 million voters spread across over 30,000 polling stations.
Puducherry, a union territory comprising four regions, has more than 950,000 voters, with 24,919 first-time voters. A total of 294 candidates are in the fray.
Assam’s assembly elections feature 722 candidates, including 59 women. Approximately 25.05 million registered voters are eligible to participate, with 31,490 polling stations set up to facilitate the voting process.
This election is crucial for the 126-member Assam assembly, where the BJP aims to retain power while Congress hopes to make a comeback. It marks the first election following the delimitation process in 2023.
In Kerala, the elections for 140 assembly seats see competition among three alliances: LDF, UDF, and NDA. The Left Democratic Front aims for a fifth consecutive term, facing challenges from the Congress-led UDF and the BJP-led NDA.
Voting is taking place for 30 seats in Puducherry, currently governed by the All India NR Congress (AINRC) coalition, led by Chief Minister N. Rangasamy, with support from the BJP.
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