Assembly elections 2026 | Assam records 'historic' 85% turnout; Kerala, Puducherry see strong polling

An estimated 85.03 per cent voter turnout was recorded as polling ended at 5 PM on Thursday in all 126 assembly constituencies of Assam, surpassing the previous 82.04 per cent voting in the 2021 elections, officials said. The total number of voters in Assam is around 2.5 crore.

The BJP-led NDA is seeking a third consecutive term in power in Assam, while the Congress is striving to reclaim a state it lost a decade ago. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Sarma termed the high turnout “historic”, while Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi said it reflected public desire for a “new and greater Assam”.

Dalgaon recorded the highest voting at 94.57 per cent, while the lowest turnout was in Amri at 70.40 per cent, they said. Minor clashes were reported at some polling booths, and seven people were detained in connection with poll-related violence.

Voting for the 140 Assembly seats in Kerala concluded at 6 pm on Thursday with people still standing in queues outside many polling stations.

Those present at the polling stations at 6 pm were given tokens and would be allowed to vote. A turnout of 78 per cent was recorded, slightly higher than that of the 2021 Assembly polls which saw a polling percentage of 74.06 per cent. A total of 2.71 crore voters are eligible in Kerala, where 883 candidates are in the fray.

Kerala Chief Electoral Officer Rathan U Kelkar expressed confidence that the final turnout could touch 90 per cent.

Voting for the 30 Assembly constituencies in the Union Territory of Puducherry also concluded at 6 pm on Thursday while people who arrived before the deadline were allowed to wait in queues and cast their votes, officials said.

According to initial estimates, the polling percentage was at 89.7 per cent, they said. The figures will be revised on Friday when the final results come in.

The results of the elections will be out on May 4 along with West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and bypolls in some other states. The elections are part of a larger multi-phase poll process, with West Bengal and Tamil Nadu scheduled to vote later in April.