Record voter turnout in Assembly polls: 85 pc in Assam, 89 pc in Puducherry

New Delhi, Apr 9 (PTI) Assam and Puducherry surpassed their highest-ever poll-participation on Thursday by recording 85.38 per cent and 89.83 per cent respectively, the Election Commission said.

Previously, the highest poll participation in Assam and Puducherry was 84.67 per cent (2016 assembly polls) and 86.19 per cent (2011 assembly polls) respectively, the poll authority noted.

In Kerala, Assam and Puducherry, where assembly polls were held on Thursday, women voters outdid their male counterparts by lining up at voting centres.

In Assam, while male participation stood at 84.80 per cent, female voter turnout was recorded at 85.96 per cent.

Similarly in Kerala, the male poll participation was 75.01 per cent, while it was 80.86 per cent for women.

In the Union Territory of Puducherry, 88.09 per cent of the male electors voted as compared to 91.33 per cent of the women.

A total of 296 assembly constituencies in Assam, Kerala and Puducherry with a total electorate of over 5.31 crore went to polls, along with the byelections in four assembly seats of Karnataka, Nagaland and Tripura.

Responding to the turnout, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said, “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 EC, I congratulate each and every elector of Assam, Puducherry and Kerala for this historic achievement.” PTI NAB NAB KSS KSS