Voting Begins Today in Kerala, Assam, and Puducherry Assembly Elections
Voting Process Commences
Today marks the start of voting across all assembly constituencies in Kerala, Assam, and Puducherry. The polling process will kick off at 7 AM, with a single-phase voting system in place for these states. On April 9, voting will commence simultaneously for 126 seats in Assam, 140 in Kerala, and 30 in Puducherry. By the end of the day, the fate of 1,849 candidates will be sealed in electronic voting machines, with results expected to be announced on May 4.
Kerala Assembly Elections
In Kerala, a total of 883 candidates are vying for the 140 assembly seats, with over 26 million voters set to determine their fate. The primary contest is among the Left Democratic Front (LDF) led by CPI(M), the United Democratic Front (UDF) spearheaded by Congress, and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the BJP. Key figures such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the NDA, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for the LDF, and Rahul Gandhi for Congress have addressed numerous election rallies. The LDF currently holds 99 seats and aims for a third consecutive term.
Assam Assembly Elections
In Assam, the main rivalry is between Congress and the BJP, with both parties exchanging accusations as the campaign draws to a close. A total of 722 candidates are contesting for 126 assembly seats, with more than 25 million voters making the decision on who will represent them for the next five years. The NDA, under the leadership of Himanta Biswa Sarma, is striving for a third consecutive term, while Congress has formed an alliance with six other parties to counter the BJP. All 31,490 polling booths in the state will feature webcasting, and 151,132 polling personnel have been deployed.
Puducherry Assembly Elections
Voting will also take place for all 30 assembly seats in Puducherry today. Among the 944,000 voters, approximately 443,000 are men, 500,000 are women, and there are 139 third-gender voters. A total of 294 candidates are in the fray, with the election commission assigning 110 sector officers across 1,099 polling stations, of which 209 have been classified as sensitive.
By-elections in Other States
In addition to the elections in Assam, Kerala, and Puducherry, by-elections will be held for two seats in Karnataka and one each in Nagaland and Tripura. Voting for the vacant seat in Goa's Ponda constituency, previously held by former minister Ravi Naik, was scheduled for April 9 but has been canceled following a Bombay High Court order. Meanwhile, voting in Nagaland's 28-Koridang (ST) assembly and Tripura's Dharmanagar assembly will take place from 7 AM to 5 PM, along with the Karnataka seats of Bagalkot and Davanagere South, which became vacant after the passing of Congress legislators.
Upcoming Elections
It is noteworthy that voting for all 234 seats in Tamil Nadu and 152 seats in West Bengal will occur on April 23. The second phase of voting in West Bengal will take place on April 29 for the remaining 142 seats. The results for all five states and the by-elections will be announced together on May 4.