Assam Sees Over 75 pc Polling Till 4.30 pm; Voter Turnout 62.71 pc in Keralam, 72.40 in Puducherry

New Delhi: High voter turnout was recorded in Assam and West Bengal, as well as in Puducherry, in the assembly polls held on Thursday; Voters lined up in many places to vote. According to the latest data from the Election Commission, voter turnout in Assam was 75.91 percent till 4.30 pm, in Keralam it was 62.71 percent and in Puducherry it was 72.40 percent.

Most leaders of different political parties cast their votes earlier in the day. Voting is on for 126 seats in Assam, 140 seats in Keralam and 30 seats in Puducherry. Votes will be counted on May 4. In Keralam, Ernakulam recorded the highest turnout of 66 percent. All districts in the state saw over 60 per cent polling, except Pathanamthitta, which had 59.25 per cent.

In Assam, South Salmara Mankachar recorded a high voting percentage of 84.24 per cent, while in Kamrup (Metro) it was lowest at 65.30 per cent. In Keralam, more than 2.6 crore voters have the right to decide the fate of 883 candidates in 140 constituencies. Out of 2,69,53,644 registered voters across the state, 1,38,27,319 are women voters and 1,31,26,048 are male voters. Officials said there are 277 third-gender voters in the state.

Approximately 4,24,518 voters are in the 18-19 age group, while 2,04,608 voters are 85 years and above. A total of 30,471 polling stations have been set up to facilitate safe and secure voting. More than 2.5 crore voters in Assam are eligible to vote in the 126-member legislative assembly. There are 722 candidates in the competition. Out of 2,50,54,463 voters, 1,25,31,552 are male voters and 1,25,22,593 are female voters. There are 318 Trans voters and 63,423 service voters. Of the voters, 6,42,314 are in the 18-19 age group, 2,50,006 are above 80 years of age and 2,05,085 are disabled voters.

In a statement, it said webcasting facilities were arranged in accordance with the Commission’s instructions to strengthen the monitoring mechanism. Webcast was enabled in all 31,490 polling stations, including 31,486 main polling stations and four auxiliary polling stations. A total of 1,51,132 polling personnel were deployed to conduct the elections. For voting purposes, 41,320 Ballot Boxes, 43,975 Control Units and 43,997 VVPAT machines, including emergency use reserves, were organized. Additional voting personnel were also available when necessary.

In Puducherry, 10,14,070 voters are eligible to vote for 30 seats in the Legislative Assembly. The electorate includes 5,39,125 women voters, 4,74,788 male voters and 157 voters belonging to the third gender category. A total of 24,156 voters are in the 18-19 age group.