Kamal Ghorui
Record voter turnouts were seen in assembly polls in Assam, Kerala and Puducherry on Thursday, with Election Commission officials describing it as a “validation” of special intensive revision and special revision of electoral rolls and a sign of people’s “unflinching trust in the electoral process”. Polling surged past previous peaks – reaching all-time highs of 91.2% in Puducherry and 85.8% in Assam, while Kerala’s 78.2% is the state’s highest since 1987. Officials said final figures could rise after consolidation of reports. Puducherry surpassed its previous high of 86.2% from 2011, while Assam broke its 2016 record of 84.7% when BJP formed its first govt, dethroning Congress after its three-term unbroken run. In Assam, turnout marked the highest since the first elections in 1951. Chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said the polls were a “historic testimony not only for India but for the entire democratic world”, congratulating voters in Assam and Puducherry. An EC official said Thursday repeated the success story of Bihar polls in Nov 2025, recording the state’s highest turnout ever. The official said removal of deceased, shifted, absent and duplicate voters reduced total rolls, lifting turnout percentages. Another said door-to-door enumeration doubled as a voter awareness drive, boosting participation. “It made the electors aware of their voting right, leading to heightened enthusiasm,” he said. “Electors… have reposed total faith in SIR, notwithstanding questions raised by opposition parties,” another EC official said, adding the exercise validated both roll accuracy and conduct of elections. Kerala’s electorate shrank by about 9 lakh (3.2%), Puducherry’s by 7.6% or 77,367 voters, and Assam saw net deletions of around 2.4 lakh, almost 1% of its draft electorate.
Muslim-majority seats saw spike in Assam
In Assam, participation surged unevenly. Muslim-majority constituencies led the spike, with Dalgaon in Darrang district recording 94.5% turnout and 15 similar constituencies crossing 90%. Upper Assam’s Hindu-majority belt logged about 82%, below the state average and slightly lower than 2021. Bodo areas averaged 85%, Barak valley 82.9%, while hill districts of Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao recorded the lowest at 74.2%. Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma called the participation “not ordinary but historic”, and projected a sweeping mandate. “I think we will secure 90-plus seats (in 126-member assembly). Even if we touch 100, there is nothing to be surprised about,” he said. Assam’s single-phase election was marked by sporadic clashes in multiple constituencies which left around 30 people wounded and seven arrested. In Kerala, voters turned out despite heat, pushing several districts past 80%. Queues continued past official closing time. Prominent politicians, including CM Pinarayi Vijayan, Congress’s V D Satheesan, and BJP’s Rajeev Chandrasekhar voted early. Film personalities such as Mammootty, Mohanlal, Suraj Venjaramoodu and Asif Ali also cast ballots. In Thiruvananthapuram, first-time voters received halwa boxes and thank-you cards as part of outreach efforts.
