6.1 Crore Electors to Vote in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry TomorrowNew Delhi: More than 6.1 crore voters are set to cast their ballots on Thursday as Assembly elections are held in a single phase across Assam, Kerala, and the Union Territory of Puducherry.
The polls will cover 140 seats in Kerala, 126 in Assam, and 30 in Puducherry, serving as a crucial political test for both regional and national parties.
The results will be declared on May 4, alongside the outcomes of Tamil Nadu, where voting is scheduled for April 23, and West Bengal, which will also see polling on April 23 and an additional phase on April 29.
In Assam, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is aiming to return to power for a third consecutive term with its National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is leading the campaign, succeeding Sarbananda Sonowal, who held the post from 2016 to 2021.
The Indian National Congress, meanwhile, is seeking a political comeback in the state under the leadership of state president Gaurav Gogoi, heading a six-party alliance that includes the Raijor Dal led by activist Akhil Gogoi and the Assam Jatiya Parishad led by Lurinjyoti Gogoi.
Assam has over 2.5 crore voters, including nearly equal numbers of men and women—around 1.25 crore each—and 318 transgender voters. The electorate also includes approximately 6.42 lakh first-time voters in the 18–19 age group.
In Kerala, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, a veteran leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), is seeking to retain power for the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in what remains the last major Communist stronghold in the country.
The LDF had broken the four-decade trend of alternating governments between itself and the United Democratic Front (UDF) by winning consecutive terms in 2021—the first such instance in 40 years. Historically, the CPI(M)-led LDF secured victories in 1980, 1987, 1996, 2006, 2016, and 2021.
The UDF, led by the Congress, is aiming for a return to power. It first formed a government in 1981 and again in 1982 after a brief period of President’s Rule, and has since won Assembly elections in 1982, 1991, 2001, and 2011.
Kerala has over 2.71 crore voters, with women (1.39 crore) outnumbering men (1.32 crore), along with 273 transgender voters. The state also has around 4.66 lakh first-time voters aged 18–19.
In Puducherry, the NDA is looking to retain power, with Chief Minister N. Rangaswamy of the All India N.R. Congress (AINRC) seeking a fifth term. The 76-year-old leader has had a long political career, initially rising through the Congress ranks and serving as a state minister in the 1990s.
Rangaswamy first became Chief Minister in October 2001 and again in 2006, before stepping down in August 2008 following differences within the Congress. He later formed the AINRC, returned to power in 2011, and served as Leader of the Opposition from 2016 to 2021 during a Congress-led government. He was sworn in for a fourth term as Chief Minister in 2021 with NDA support.
The Union Territory has an electorate of 9.44 lakh, comprising 4.43 lakh men, five lakh women, and 139 third-gender voters. It also includes 23,033 first-time voters in the 18–19 age group.