Kerala, Assam, Puducherry Assembly Elections LIVE: LDF will win more seats than 2021, says Pinarayi Vijayan after voting

Puducherry Assembly elections: Vijay’s TVK debuts in Pondy polls

TVK – Tamilagai Vettri Kazhagam – party of Actor Vijay makes its debut in Puducherry politics. Will this party be a kingmaker?

Puducherry Assembly elections: Ballots open, hopes high as the beach city sees frenzy voting from dawn

294 candidates in fray in Puducherry with 9.5 lakh voters deciding their fate. 

Voting began amid tight security at 7 am with long queues seen .

Assam Polls: Voting continues unfazed amidst heavy rains

Pic credit: Ritu Raj Konwar

Assam sees heavy rain, but voter spirit hasn’t been dampened

Raining heavily in Hojai, Assam and yet rain has not dampened the spirit of voters who have turned out in big numbers early morning with umbrellas . Shiladitya Dev of BJP pitted against Jhili Chowdhury of INC in the constituency.

Kerala Assembly elections: Polling percentage rises to 5.6 per cent in Kerala after one-and-hours.

Voter turnout impressive: LDF convenor TP Ramakrishnan

LDF convenor TP Ramakrishnan, who is locked in a close fight in fortress Perambra, says he is impressed with the turnout so far in Kerala, with women voters outnumbering their male counterparts.

Election Commission declares paid holiday on polling days for upcoming elections

​

Election Commission declares paid holiday on polling days for upcoming elections

Election Commission announces paid holiday for all employees on polling days to ensure voter participation in upcoming elections.

​

Pinarayi Vijayan says LDF confident of surpassing 2021 win, cites decade of development

CM Pinarayi Vijayan speaking to reporters in Dharmadam after casting his vote said that people realise that LDF has achieved what no other party has in terms of development, taking various projects to their conclusion. He says people have experienced the change in 10 years and LDF has been travelling with people of the land. “In 2021 we received more than we got in 2016 and we are confident that this time we will get more than we got in 2021,” he said. A developed Keralam is our dream and we are confident people will be with us, he said .

In the first hour of voting, an average 3-3.5 per cent of voters cast their ballots in Kerala.

Assam polls: Police knock, passport claims and sharp barbs mark final days before Assam vote

​

Police knock, passport claims and sharp barbs mark final days before Assam vote

Tensions rise in Assam’s election campaign as police action and personal attacks dominate the final days before voting.

​

Top leaders cast their votes across Keralam as high turnout seen in many constituencies

Several top leaders have cast their vote across Keralam . Suresh Gopi in Thrissur, V Satheeshan in North Paravur. Huge turnout witnessed in many constituencies.

Meet CM Rangasamy, NDA’s calm and unflappable leader in Puducherry

​

Meet CM Rangasamy, NDA’s unflappable face in Puducherry

Puducherry CM N Rangasamy campaigns with a calm, grassroots approach as Assembly polls near, banking on strong public connect and experience.

​

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan casts vote in Dharmadam, eyes third straight term

In Kannur, Keralam chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan just cast his vote from Dharmadam constituency fighting for a record third time in power

BJP’s Rajeev Chandrasekharan predicts no clear mandate for UDF or LDF as BJP gains ground

Kerala BJP chief Rajeev Chandrasekharan standing to cast his vote in his constituency told reporters that in his view neither UDF nore LDF would get a clear mandate as BJP will have an impact.

Assam’s financial and social scorecard 

​

Assam’s financial and social scorecard 

Explore Assam’s economic and social indicators under the NDA government as they approach the re-election campaign.

​

Bots in the poll battlefield – from sentiment tracking to targeted messaging

​

Bots in the poll battlefield – from sentiment tracking to targeted messaging

Explore how AI is transforming political campaigns through sentiment analysis, targeted messaging, and rapid content creation in Tamil Nadu.

​

Kerala sets 85% polling target, aiming to match record turnout last seen in 1960

State Election Commission has put a target of 85 per cent of polling in Kerala, a threshold breached only once in the state’s history way back in 1960. 

That year, the state witnessed 85.72 per cent of polling in elections held after the EMS Namboodiripad government had to bow out of power. 

The lowest polling percentage of 71.16 per cent was recorded in 1996, while the last Assembly polls held in 2021 returned 75.75 per cent.

Assam polls: In pictures

CCTV surveillance and strict policing witnessed in polling booths in Assam

Polling underway in Assam

Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar

In Puducherry, model polling booth with flowers, seating, token system, and robot welcomes early voters

In Puducherry at a model polling booth bedecked with flowers , people were seen seated since 6.30 am. Seating arrangements had been made. A token system was arranged . Also a robot greeted voters.

Kerala polls: Mohan Lal casts vote in Nemom after standing in queue for half an hour amid tough triangular contest

Mohan Lal cast his vote from Poojappura in Nemom . A huge number of women voters have queued up to cast their votes.

No exit polls from 7 am of April 9 till 6.30 pm of April 29: EC

Exit polls can neither be held nor disseminated from 7 am of April 9 till 6.30 pm of April 29 for the five assembly elections taking place this month, the Election Commission has said.

It has also cautioned that conducting or broadcasting exit polls in the period is violative of section 126A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 and is “punishable with imprisonment up to a period of two years, or with fine or both”.

While Kerala, Assam and Puducherry going for assembly polls on April 9, the electoral exercise will be held in Tamil Nadu on April 23.

In West Bengal, state polls will be held on April 23 and 29.

While the 48 hour ‘silence period’ in Kerala and Puducherry will commence at 6 pm on Tuesday, it will kick in at 5 pm in Assam. ​

No exit polls from 7 am of April 9 till 6.30 pm of April 29: EC

Exit polls can neither be held nor disseminated from 7 am of April 9 till 6.30 pm of April 29 for the five assembly elections taking place this month, the Election Commission has said.

​

People standing in long lines to cast their votes in Guwahati on 9th April 2026.

Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar / The Hindu

2.71 crore voters head for booths in Kerala

An estimated 2.71 crore voters in Kerala will fan out into the more than 34,000 booths in the state today to exercise their franchise in elections to the State Assembly. 

The last couple of days leading up to the poll were eventful with ‘vote for cash’ and ‘vote for (provision) kits’ breaking out in Thrissur district. 

A third one was an alleged phone conversation between a minister and sitting MLA of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) fixing blame on each other for the ‘man-made’ failures that allegedly set off the historic 2018 floods. 

Separately, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan took on his Telangana counterpart Revanth Reddy in a one-to-one spat deviating from campaign rhetoric. – Our Bureau

Assam polls: Assam electorate stands at 2.5 crore, with nearly equal male and female voters and 318 in transgender category

Of 2,50,54,463 electors in Assam, 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. – ANI

Assam heads to polls today as Congress looks to reclaim the state

Polling for the 126 seats in Assam will be held today. Votes will be counted on May 4. The polling will begin at 7 am. The BJP-led NDA is seeking a third consecutive term. The Congress-led alliance includes Raijor Dal and CPI(M).

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

Keralam sets up over 30,000 polling stations, deploys 1.46 lakh trained staff for voting

For a smooth voting process, 30,471 polling stations have been set up in Keralam, out of which 119 are logistic and voter machine distribution centres and 41 are vote counting centres.Keralam Chief Electoral Officer Rathan U Kelkar said that 1.46 lakh trained polling personnel will be dispatched to all the polling stations.

Keralam electorate has 2.7 crore voters, including over 4.2 lakh first-time voters and 2 lakh seniors aged 85+

The Keralam electorate comprises 2,69,53,644 registered voters, in which the total number of female voters is 1,38,27,319, the number of male voters is 1,31,26,048, and the number of Third gender category voters is 277.

Among them, around 4,24,518 voters are in the 18-19 age group, and 2,04,608 voters are in the senior citizen category, aged 85 years and above. – ANI

Keralam to vote today: Over 2.6 cr voters to decide fate of 883 candidates

Over 2,6 crore electors will rush to poll stations on Thursday to decide the fate of 883 candidates across 140 assembly constituencies in Kerala and elect its 140-member Legislative Assembly in a high-stakes battle between the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

The voting in Keralam is being held in a single phase and will begin at 7 AM. The current Assembly’s tenure ends on May 23.

In the south-Indian state, over 2,6 crore electors will decide the fate of 883 candidates across 140 constituencies.

Puducherry to vote today for 30 seats to elect new assembly

Puducherry is set to vote today at 7 am for a total of 30 seats. A total of 10,14,070 electors are eligible to exercise their franchise to elect the 30-member Legislative Assembly.

The electorate comprises 5,39,125 female voters, 4,74,788 male voters, and 157 voters belonging to the Third gender category. Out of this, 24,156 voters belong to the age group of 18-19 years, while 6,034 voters belong to the senior citizen category (aged 85 and above). – ANI