Assam, Puducherry witness historic turnout; over 78% vote in Kerala

High voter participation across states sets the stage for tight contests, with ruling parties in Assam and Kerala eyeing rare third consecutive terms.

Assam registered a record voter turnout of over 85.64 per cent while Kerala witnessed an impressive polling with more than 78 per cent in the assembly elections on Thursday, according to the latest Election Commission figures, as the ruling dispensations in the two states eye a third consecutive term in power.

Puducherry, a small union territory located about 165 km from Chennai, and comprising 30 constituencies, saw a new voter turnout record of 89.87 per cent.

This was the highest polling percentage so far since 1964 when the first election was held following the merger of the UT, a former French colony, with India.

Dubbing the high voter turnout as 'historic', Assam Chief Minister Himanta Sarma said the result of this 'election is already visible -- in the hope, pride, and happiness' on the faces of our people.

However, Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi asserted that the overwhelming turnout was for a 'new and greater Assam' and a new leadership at the helm.

"It is now the responsibility of the ECI to ensure the security of EVMs and conduct the counting of votes accurately," Gogoi added.

Both Sarma and Gogoi are among the 722 candidates contesting from 126 constituencies in these elections.

The total number of voters is 2.5 crore. In 2021, Assam recorded 82.04 per cent in the assembly polls.

Kerala sees higher participation than 2021

In Kerala, where competition between the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF) has traditionally driven high participation, 883 candidates are contesting from the 140 assembly constituencies.

The total number of voters is 2.71 crore and 78.27 per cent of them performed their democratic duty on Thursday.

CPI-M leader C N Mohanan said an increase in the polling percentage would benefit the LDF because its workers had worked to ensure maximum voter turnout.

Bharatiya Janata Party Ernakulam district president K S Shaiju said the increase in polling percentage resulted from a higher turnout of women voters, and this would favour the BJP.

Congress leader Deepthi Mary Varghese, however, said the reasons behind the rise in the polling percentage required detailed analysis.

"Usually, the trend is that when the polling percentage rises, it turns favourable to the UDF. However, a detailed analysis is required in this matter," she said.

Meanwhile, Kerala Chief Electoral Officer Rathan U Kelkar expressed confidence that the current voting trend indicates that a turnout of 90 per cent will be achieved.

In the 2021 assembly polls, 74.06 per cent voter turnout was registered in Kerala..

Puducherry records highest turnout

Along with Kerala and Assam, the voting for the 30-member Puducherry assembly was also held on Thursday.

It registered a record turnout of 89.87 per cent in the polls, where the opposition Congress-led bloc is pushing to wrest power from the All India NR Congress-led front in the union territory.

While the polls in Kerala will decide whether the LDF secures a rare third consecutive term, the Congress-headed UDF stages a comeback after a decade, or the National Democratic Alliance makes deeper inroads into state's traditionally bipolar political space, in the high-stakes polls in Assam, there is a close fight between the ruling BJP, which is aiming for a third consecutive term, and the Congress that seeks to wrest power after being ousted in 2016.

Thursday's elections are the first leg of the polls in four states and one UT: Kerala and Assam. West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

The elections in West Bengal will be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29, and in Tamil Nadu, the polls will occur in one phase on April 23. Vote counting for all four states and the UT will be on May 4.

High-stakes contests across states

The elections are taking place against the backdrop of the West Asia conflict, which has triggered an LPG crisis in the country.

This issue was also prominent in the poll campaign, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other top BJP leaders assuring a stable supply, while the opposition attacked the Central government over the potential shortage.

While the polling was largely peaceful in Kerala and Puducherry, officials said seven people were held in connection with election-related violence at two places in Assam.

Peaceful polling with minor incidents

Besides, minor clashes also erupted at several polling booths in Assam after voting began in the morning, causing minor injuries, they said.

Several senior leaders, candidates and public figures participated in the voting process in the two state and the UT, including chief ministers --Pinarayi Vijayan (Kerala) and Sarma and Malayalam actors --Mammootty and Mohanlal.

In Puducherry, a robot carrying a plate of flower petals welcomed voters at a model polling booth set up at the VOC government higher secondary school in the Raj Bhavan constituency.

Moving along the corridor, the robot greeted visitors.