Assam, Kerala, Puducherry vote today, elaborate arrangements in place for smooth polling, says election commission

The stage is set for assembly polls in Assam, Kerala and Puducherry in high-stakes electoral battles today.

Voting will be held for 126 seats in Assam, 140 in Keralam, and 30 in Puducherry in this phase of the election. Tamil Nadu will go to the polls on April 23 and West Bengal on April 23 and 29. Votes will be counted on May 4.

The polling will begin at 7 am today. Election Commission has said it has made elaborate arrangements for free, fair and smooth polling.

883 candidates in fray in Kerala

There are over 2.6 crore electors in Kerala or Keralam who will decide the fate of 883 candidates across 140 constituencies. Of the 2,69,53,644 registered voters across the state, there are 1,38,27,319 women voters and the number of male voters stands at 1,31,26,048. Officials said 277 voters have been registered in the 'third gender category.'

Among the electorate, nearly 4,24,518 voters fall in the 18-19 age group, while 2,04,608 voters are aged 85 years and above

As many as 30,471 polling stations have been set up across Kerala for today's voting.

In Kerala, the election battle is between the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) for the Assembly elections. The CPI(M)-led LDF, led by CM Pinarayi Vijayan, is seeking a third consecutive term.

Kerala has 140 seats. In the 2021 elections, the LDF retained power with 99 seats, becoming the first incumbent government since 1977 to win consecutive terms.

722 candidates in fray in Assam

In Assam, more than 2.5 crore electors are eligible to exercise their franchise for 126-member legislative assembly. There are 722 candidates in the fray.

Of 2,50,54,463 electors, 1,25,31,552 are male voters and 1,25,22,593 females. There are 318 voters in the Transgender category and 63,423 service voters.

Among the electorate, 6,42,314 voters are in the age group of 18-19 years, 2,50,006 are above 80 years of age, and 2,05,085 are persons with disabilities.

As many as 1,51,132 polling personnel have been deployed for the conduct of the election. For polling purposes, 41,320 Ballot Units, 43,975 Control Units, and 43,997 VVPAT machines have been arranged, including reserves for emergency use. Additional polling personnel have also been kept in readiness, if required.

Assam has 126 seats. The Assam elections will be keenly watched with sitting Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma hoping to return to power. The Opposition Congress is alleging instability under the present rule, and has batted for change as a key factor in their electoral campaign.

In 2021, the election saw the incumbent BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) retain power with 75 seats, marking the first time a non-Congress alliance won consecutive terms in the state.

In Puducherry, 10,14,070 electors are eligible to cast their votes to elect a 30-member Legislative Assembly. The electorate includes 5,39,125 female voters, 4,74,788 male voters, and 157 voters belonging to the third gender category.

A total of 24,156 voters fall in the age group of 18-19 years, while 6,034 voters belong to the senior citizen category, aged 85 and above.

The contest in Puducherry is between the ruling NDA, which includes NR Congress and BJP and the Congress-DMK alliance. Actor Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) is seeking to make it triangular fight.

(With agency inputs)