Democracy wins with record voting

The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which reduced the total number of voters in the state by a little over seven lakh, appears to have had a bearing on the voting percentage.

People gather outside a polling station before casting their votes in the Assam Assembly elections, at Bokakhat in Golaghat district, Thursday, April 9, 2026. Photo | PTI

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM/GUWAHATI/PUDUCHERRY: Extremely high voter enthusiasm became the main talking point across Kerala, Assam and Puducherry, which went to polls on Thursday, giving all major players bragging rights to anticipate a good outcome.

Kerala recorded its fourth-best tally at 78.27%, with all three fronts — the Left Democratic Front (LDF), the United Democratic Front (UDF) and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) — claiming the surge reflected a mandate in their favour. The state had seen higher turnouts in 1960 (85.70%), 1987 (80.53%) and 1977 (79.20%). The previous assembly election, which broke a four-decade-long trend of voting out incumbent governments, had recorded a turnout of 76%.

The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which reduced the total number of voters in the state by a little over seven lakh, appears to have had a bearing on the voting percentage. Constituencies that had recorded some of the lowest voter participation in 2021 — particularly in Thiruvananthapuram’s urban areas — witnessed a marked rise in polling, with increases ranging between 7 and 11 percentage points.

Voters stand in a long queue at the polling station at Govt. UPS, Ambalathara in Thiruvananthapuram on polling day.Photo | Albin Mathew, EPS

In Assam, the voter turnout at 8 pm stood at 85.51%, better than 82.42% in 2021 and 84.72% in 2016. The final tally is expected to creep up further. The ruling BJP and the Congress were upbeat after the unprecedented turnout on a rain-soaked day when polling was by and large peaceful. In 2016, the NDA had wrested power by dislodging the 15-year-old Congress government.

Pointing out that the voter participation at many polling booths had crossed 95%, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma described it as historic. His bete noire and Assam Congress president, Gaurav Gogoi, was equally optimistic. He expressed gratitude to people for turning out in “unprecedented numbers to vote for a change”.

Puducherry saw its highest-ever voter turnout of 89.87%; the previous highest of 85.57% was recorded in 2011, when N Rangasamy led the All India NR Congress (AINRC) to power. He was back in the saddle after the NDA wrested power in the 2021 polls.