4 min readGuwahati, New Delhi, ThiruvananthapuramUpdated: Apr 10, 2026 05:06 AM IST
Assam and Puducherry recorded their highest-ever turnout in the Assembly elections on Thursday, at 85.38% and 89.83% respectively, according to provisional data released by the Election Commission (EC). Kerala, too, saw an increase from last time at 78.03%.
For Kerala and Puducherry, it was their first election after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls was completed in February this year. For Assam, it was the first Assembly elections after the 2023 delimitation.
According to an EC statement, the highest turnout in Assam so far was 84.67% in the 2016 Assembly elections; it was 82.4% in 2021. While 85.96% of the state’s women voters cast their votes on Thursday, the turnout of men voters was slightly lower at 84.80%.
In Kerala, where the SIR saw a 8.63% drop in the electorate, the EC said the turnout of women voters was 80.86%, higher than the turnout of men voters at 75.01%. The total turnout in 2021 was 76%.
In Puducherry, the highest turnout so far was 86.19% in the 2011 Assembly elections; it was 83.4% in 2021. The SIR led to a 10.12% decrease in electors in the Union Territory. Here too, the turnout of women (91.33%) was higher as compared to men (88.09%).
While Kerala and Puducherry are among the 13 states/ UTs where the EC has conducted the SIR so far, the poll panel had decided not to do so in Assam, citing the pending publication of the National Register of Citizens (NRC). The SIR, unlike the usual revisions, involved a document-based verification of each registered elector.
The EC said data from 3,469 polling stations was yet to be updated. Polling was “by and large peaceful barring a few incidents,” it said.
Story continues below this ad
“The Assembly Elections 2026 in Assam, Kerala and Puducherry are a historic testimony not only for India but for the entire democratic world. On behalf of ECI, I congratulate each and every elector of Assam, Puducherry and Kerala for this historic achievement,” Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said.
In Assam, despite overcast weather and rainfall in various parts of the state, polling for the 126 Assembly seats saw long queues at several polling stations, according to the office of the Chief Election Officer.
The turnout was as high as 94.57% in Dalgaon constituency in Central Assam, which is also the state’s most densely populated constituency with 3.15 lakh voters registered in the final electoral list published in February, after the Special Revision of the voters’ list.
Several other constituencies recorded voter turnouts above 94%, including Srinjangram, Jaleshwar and Mankachar. These are mostly constituencies with a high population of Bengali-origin Muslims.
Story continues below this ad
On the other hand, the urban constituencies in Guwahati city recorded lower turnouts — 71.27% in New Guwahati, 73.98% in Dispur and 75.23% in Guwahati. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s home constituency of Jalukbari in Guwahati, where he is being challenged by Congress’s Bidisha Neog, recorded a relatively higher turnout at 80.83%.
In Kerala, voting for the 140 Assembly seats saw above 75% polling in all the 14 districts. Several constituencies recorded over 80% turnout even before the final figures were out.
While Kerala had a total of 2.78 crore electors earlier, the list was pruned to 2.71 crore after the SIR.
The three Assembly polls were announced by the EC on March 15, along with Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. Tamil Nadu votes on April 23 and West Bengal on April 23 and April 29. Counting of votes for all five polls is scheduled for May 4.
Story continues below this ad
On Thursday, bypolls were also held in four Assembly constituencies across three states of Karnataka, Nagaland and Tripura.
