Assembly Elections 2026 LIVE: Assam, Puducherry, and Kerala See Brisk Voting; Turnout Crosses 30% Mark by 11 AM

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday offered prayers at the Kamakhya Devi temple in Guwahati before casting his vote in the ongoing polling of the state assembly polls. 

Sarma, who was accompanied by his wife Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, said that he prayed for the prosperity of the state at the Kamakhya Devi temple. "It is polling day today in Assam. I had the fortune to have a darshan of Maa Kamakhya on the polling day. May Assam flourish and people of the state advance, I prayed this to Maa," he told reporters.

Assembly Elections 2026 LIVE: Voter turnout in Assam was recorded at 38.92 per cent, as of 11 am on Thursday, while in Keralam it was at 33.28 per cent, the data shared by the Election Commission of India (ECI) for the ongoing 2026 Assembly elections said. 

The polling trends in the Union Territory of Puducherry showed a voter turnout of 37.06 per cent.

Assembly Elections 2026 LIVE: Kerala Minister MB Rajesh on Thursday cast his vote in the Assembly elections being held today and said that LDF is all set to create history with a third term. Rajesh, who is contesting from Thrithala Assembly constituency as a Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate, cast his vote in Palakkad.

Puducherry Lieutenant Governor K Kailashnathan cast his vote on Thursday at the DMS office during the ongoing Assembly elections, while urging other citizens to fulfil their "primary duty". 

Speaking after casting his vote, Lt Governor Kailashnathan emphasised the importance of citizen participation in the voting process and appealed to all voters to come forward and exercise their right.

Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal expressed confidence that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA will secure a sweeping victory in the Assam Assembly elections, projecting that the alliance will win "around 100 seats". 

"From day one, I have consistently cited this figure, that, together with our allies, we would secure around 100 seats. This conviction stems from the enthusiastic manner in which the public participated in our campaign," Sonowal said.

Malayalam cinema icon Mammootty was seen casting his vote alongside his wife Sulfath Kutty at a polling station in Kochi on Thursday morning as voting for the Keralam Assembly Elections 2026 got underway. The veteran actor arrived at the polling booth in a composed, understated manner, dressed in a brown long-sleeved collared shirt paired with black sunglasses. His presence drew attention from voters and onlookers, underscoring the role public figures often play in encouraging electoral participation.
The veteran actor was also spotting leaving the polling booth with actor and his son Dulquer Salmaan.

#WATCH All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) candidate from Thirumangalam Assembly constituency RB Udhayakumar says, "Under the leadership of Edappadi Palaniswami, victory in 210 Assembly constituencies is certain. In that, we will win the Thirumangalam Assembly constituency on the Two Leaves symbol with a margin of 50,000 votes..." 

#WATCH | Puducherry Lt. Governor K. Kailashnathan casts his vote in Assembly elections, at DMS office

BJP National Vice President Baijayant Jay Panda visited Maa Kamakhya Devi temple in Guwahati on polling day, calling the gentle drizzle “auspicious” and urging Assam voters to treat the Assembly elections as a festival of democracy by turning out to cast their votes.

Malayalam superstar Mohanlal called on people to exercise their franchise after casting his vote, urging citizens across Kerala to step out and participate in the democratic process.

Assam Congress president and Jorhat candidate Gaurav Gogoi said the party aims to strengthen democracy and deepen its roots in the state. He expressed confidence that the people of Assam will play a decisive role in shaping a new future for the state.

Assembly Elections 2026 LIVE: Congress Rajya Sabha MP Jebi Mather cast her vote in the Kerala Assembly elections on Thursday. “I have voted. The people of Kerala have already made up their mind — a UDF government with 100 seats will come to power,” she said.

Assembly Elections 2026 LIVE: BJP National President Nitin Nabin on Thursday dismissed the need for any alliance with actor-turned-politician Vijay, underlining that the party is already aligned with the AIADMK. Speaking on the possibility of a tie-up with Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), Nabin said politics demands full-time commitment and questioned how much time the actor is willing to devote.

Assembly Elections 2026 LIVE: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan asserted that false and communal propaganda would not defeat the LDF, expressing confidence in the people’s support. 

Assembly Elections 2026 LIVE: Keralam BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Thursday cast his vote in the Assembly elections being held today and described the contest as important while urging voters to "make their vote about change". 

Chandrasekhar, who is contesting from the high-profile Nemom Assembly constituency, voted at a polling station in Thiruvananthapuram.

Assembly Elections 2026 LIVE: BJP President Nitin Nabin on Thursday said that the BJP is emerging as an "alternative" in Keralam, alleging that people want to come out of the 'match-fixing' game between LDF and UDF in Keralam, where the assembly elections would be held in a single phase on April 9.

Assembly Elections 2026 LIVE: As voting begins for single-phase Assembly polls, Keralam Minister V Sivankutty on Thursday cast his vote at a polling station in Thiruvananthapuram's Mudavanmugal. 

Apart from Sivankutty, renowned Malyalam actor Mohanlal also stood in the queue and cast his vote.

Assembly Elections 2026 LIVE: Kerala LoP and Congress leader VD Satheesan urged people to actively participate in the democratic process, calling voting a fundamental right that must be exercised. Expressing confidence in a strong performance, he said the UDF expects to win over 100 seats with a margin even bigger than in 2001.

Assembly Elections 2026 LIVE: Kerala Congress president and Peravoor candidate Sunny Joseph expressed confidence that the UDF will secure a majority, predicting over 100 seats and a repeat of its local body poll performance. 

In Nagaland, a bypoll is being held in Koridang constituency in Mokokchung district after the death of BJP MLA Imkong L Imchen. Six candidates are in the fray and the seat has 22,382 voters.

In Karnataka, by-elections will take place in Bagalkot and Davanagere South following the deaths of Congress MLAs HY Meti and Shamanur Shivashankarappa. Over 4.9 lakh voters will vote across 603 polling stations. There are 9 candidates in Bagalkot and 25 in Davanagere South.

In Tripura, voters will head to the polls in Dharmanagar constituency after the death of BJP leader and Speaker Biswa Bandhu Sen. A total of 46,142 voters will choose among six candidates.

Assembly Elections 2026 LIVE: On the eve of the high-stakes Assembly polls in Assam, Puducherry and Kerala, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi posted messages on X, appealing to voters to cast their ballots for the party.

Assembly Elections 2026 LIVE: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma offered prayers at home ahead of polling and shared a video on X, saying, “With the blessings of God and the trust of the people, we are committed to a bright future for Assam.”

Assembly Elections 2026 LIVE: Malayalam superstar Mohanlal arrived at a polling station in Mudavanmugal, Thiruvananthapuram, to cast his ballot as voting commenced for Kerala's Assembly elections.

Assembly Elections 2026 LIVE: MoS Suresh Gopi arrived to cast a vote for the Kerala Assembly polls at Guruvayur Devasom English Medium School, Thrissur.

Assembly Elections 2026 LIVE: PM Narendra Modi posts on ‘X’, “As polling begins for the Assam Assembly elections 2026, I appeal to the people of Assam to exercise their franchise in large numbers.”

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.

Assembly Elections 2026 LIVE: 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).

Assembly Elections 2026 LIVE: 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).

Assembly Elections 2026 LIVE: The Mock polls are underway at polling booth 262 at Anappara Government School in Pathanamthitta in Keralam. 

Mock polling is underway for the Assam Assembly Elections at polling station numbers 115 and 116 in Kamrup Metropolitan District and at polling station no. 9 at Girls' High School at Thrippunithura. 

Voting preparation is also underway in Puducherry.