Voters in Assam, Kerala and Puducherry turned out in large numbers on Thursday, 9 April 2026, for single-phase assembly elections, with Assam and Puducherry recording their highest-ever participation. According to the latest data from the Election Commission of India (ECI), Puducherry registered a provisional turnout of 89.83% after the end of voting, surpassing previous records.
In Assam, polling across all 126 constituencies ended at 5 pm with an estimated turnout of 85.38%, higher than the 82.04% recorded in the 2021 elections. Kerala saw a turnout of 78.03% across its 140 seats. This marked a modest increase from the 2021 figure of roughly 76%.
These numbers are provisional and will go up later, as the figures do not include Service Voters & Postal Ballots. Moreover, final numbers may not have been received from all polling stations. Final turnout figures are expected to be confirmed by the ECI later as all data is reconciled.
Polling began at 7 am and proceeded smoothly in all three regions amid heightened security. Long queues formed early at many booths, with turnout figures building steadily through the day. By 9 am, participation stood at 17.87% in Assam, 16.23% in Kerala and 17.41% in Puducherry. It had risen to 38.92%, 33.28% and 37.06% respectively by 11 am, and exceeded 59%, 49% and 56% by 1 pm.
More than 5.3 crore electors were eligible to vote in the three regions: around 2.5 crore in Assam, 2.71 crore in Kerala and just over 10 lakh in Puducherry. The elections will decide the fate of 126 seats in Assam, 140 in Kerala and 30 in Puducherry. Vote counting for all is scheduled for 4 May 2026.
A total of 296 Assembly Constituencies in Assam, Kerala and Puducherry with a total electorate of over 5.31 crores went to polls today. Along with it, bye-elections in 4 ACs of 3 States, Karnataka, Nagaland and Tripura, also took place.
Over 2.5 lakh Polling Staff conducted the poll process smoothly at 63,084 polling station, in the presence of over 1.8 lakh Polling Agents appointed by 1,899 contesting candidates. A number of new voter-friendly initiatives such as easily identifiable colour photos of candidates on EVM ballot papers, Mobile Deposit Facility (MDF), newly designed Voter Information Slips (VIS) for easy readability and limit of electors upto 1,200 per polling station were ensured in these elections.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Dr S.S. Sandhu and Dr Vivek Joshi, monitored the process closely through 100 per cent live webcasting from polling stations, a first for these elections. As part of the International Election Visitors’ Programme, 38 delegates from 22 countries observed the proceedings.
ECI officials described the process as largely peaceful, though minor incidents were reported, including poll-related violence in parts of Assam that left several people injured and led to arrests, as well as isolated clashes and technical issues with voting machines in Puducherry and Kerala. These did not significantly disrupt overall voting.
The strong turnout reflects keen public interest in the contests, which pit the ruling BJP-led alliance in Assam against a Congress-led opposition, the Left Democratic Front in power in Kerala against the Congress-led United Democratic Front and the BJP, and various regional and national parties in Puducherry.
