Big‑day voting across five regions
On April 9, 2026, voters in Assam, Kerala, and Puducherry are electing their new state/UT assemblies in a single‑phase poll, alongside by‑polls in Nagaland (Koridang), Karnataka (Davanagere South and Bagalkot), and Tripura (Dharmanagar). Polling hours run from 7 am to 6 pm, with the Election Commission overseeing around 17.4 crore eligible voters across all five regions, including these three today.
Turnout and voter profile
Early‑day reports indicate steady turnout, with polling stations in Assam, Kerala, and Puducherry witnessing a mix of early‑morning rushes and evening‑time queues. The baseline electorate today includes about 2.71 crore voters in Kerala, over 1.9 crore in Assam, and roughly 9.5 lakh voters in Puducherry, with the average per booth in the 750–900 range across the three.
Major contests in focus
In Kerala, the 140‑seat election pits the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) led by CM Pinarayi Vijayan against the United Democratic Front (UDF) and the NDA; the race is triangular but framed largely as an LDF–UDF battle. In Assam, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma is defending his record against a Congress‑led campaign, with 722 candidates contesting all 126 seats. In Puducherry, the NDA‑led incumbent government is trying to hold on against a strong push by the INDIA bloc, with 294 candidates in the fray for 30 seats.
Why April 9 matters nationally
Because Tamil Nadu and West Bengal vote later in the month, today’s results from Assam, Kerala, and Puducherry will be the first major indicator of voter sentiment in this round of state elections. The NDA’s performance in Kerala and Puducherry, and the BJP–Congress face‑off in Assam, are being watched as a key barometer of the party’s reach beyond its core Hindi‑belt base. Vote‑counting for all five assemblies, including these three, is scheduled for May 4, 2026.
