New Delhi, April 08: Voting for the Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala and the Union Territory of Puducherry will be held in a single phase on April 9 (Thursday).
The Election Commission and the local administration have completed extensive preparations to ensure peaceful, fair and transparent voting.
The fate of candidates contesting in 126 assembly seats in Assam, 140 in Kerala and 30 in Puducherry will be sealed in EVMs on April 09. The voting process for all these seats will be completed in a single phase.
Assam has a total of 2.5 crore voters, which includes 1.25 crore men, 1.25 crore women and 343 third gender voters. 5.75 lakh young voters in the 18-19 age group will exercise their right to vote for the first time. In Assam, 722 candidates are contesting for 126 assembly seats. The majority mark here is 64. The term of the 15th state assembly expires on May 20, 2026.
Similarly, 890 candidates are contesting for 140 seats in the Kerala assembly. The contest here is triangular, involving major political parties. A majority of 71 seats is required to form a government. The state has a total of 2.71 crore voters, including 1.32 crore men, 1.39 crore women, and 273 third gender voters.
Meanwhile, elections are being held for 30 seats in Puducherry, five of which are reserved for Scheduled Castes. A majority of 16 seats is required to form a government. There are a total of 9.44 lakh voters, including approximately 4.43 lakh men, 5 lakh women, and 139 third gender voters.
For the Assam elections, 25,054,463 voters are eligible to vote at 31,490 polling stations, and all these polling stations will be monitored via live webcast. Information released from the state’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) office states that all relevant officials, under the leadership of CEO Anurag Goyal, are overseeing their responsibilities related to the voting process. The Election Commission has already deployed central observers to ensure strict monitoring of all aspects, including law and order and election expenditure.
To further strengthen the monitoring system, webcasting facilities have also been made available, as per the Commission’s directives. Webcasting facilities have been activated at all 31,490 polling stations, including 31,486 main polling stations and 4 auxiliary polling stations. This will enable real-time (live) monitoring of the voting process from the offices of the District Election Officers, Chief Electoral Officer, and the Election Commission of India. Furthermore, Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), including Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), have been deployed to ensure security at polling stations. Micro-observers have also been deployed at sensitive polling stations to ensure smooth conduct of the voting process.
A total of 151,132 polling personnel have been deployed to conduct the election process. 41,320 ballot units, 43,975 control units, and 43,997 VVPAT machines have been arranged for the voting process, including those kept in reserve for use in emergency situations. Additional polling personnel have also been kept on standby for use if needed.
According to the CEO’s office, 722 candidates are contesting in this election, and a total of 25,054,463 voters will exercise their franchise. These include 12,531,552 male voters, 12,522,593 female voters, and 318 transgender voters. In addition, there are 63,423 service voters. Of the voters, 642,314 are in the 18-19 age group, 250,006 are over 80, and 205,085 are disabled.
Furthermore, in accordance with Section 60(C) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, the Election Commission has provided an alternative option for senior citizens over 85 and identified persons with disabilities to cast their votes from home via postal ballot.
Similarly, tight security arrangements have been put in place at all polling stations across Kerala. State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Ratan U. Kelkar, stated that voting will be held from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Approximately 27 million voters will decide the fate of 883 candidates. 30,495 polling stations have been set up across the state for voting, including 24 auxiliary polling stations.
A total of 1,099 polling stations have been set up across the state’s 30 assembly constituencies. On Wednesday, polling personnel, along with electronic voting machines (EVMs) and other necessary materials, were dispatched to their respective polling stations in GPS-enabled vehicles. Police and armed personnel have also been deployed for security.
As scheduled, after voting concludes, EVMs will be transported to the counting centers under tight security, where they will be sealed in secure rooms. These rooms will be monitored 24 hours a day by CCTV cameras. A three-tier security system has been ensured by paramilitary forces and the Puducherry police. A
total of 294 candidates are contesting the elections, including 34 national parties, 63 state-level parties, 80 unrecognized registered parties, and 117 independent candidates. A total
of 1,099 EVMs, 1,099 control units, and 1,099 VVPAT machines will be used for the voting process. Additionally, 364 EVMs, 364 control units, and 459 VVPAT machines have been kept in reserve to deal with emergencies.
Counting of votes will take place on May 4th, after the voting process in all five states is complete.