New Delhi: More than 6.1 crore voters are expected to exercise their vote on Thursday when the two states of Assam and Kerala, and the Union Territory of Puducherry will go to Assembly polls in a single phase voting schedule.
The election in this round will cover 140 seats in Kerala, 126 in Assam and 30 in Puducherry, with the phase serving as a political soundboard and mid term test for regional and national parties alike.
Results will be declared on May 4 alongside outcomes for Tamil Nadu, where polling will take place on April 23 along with West Bengal, and for the latter, with another phase on April 29.
In Assam, the BJP is hoping to form a government with NDA allies for the third time in a row.
Incumbent Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is leading the charge this time was preceded by Sarbananda Sonowal as the state’s Chief Minister between 2016-2021.
Meanwhile, the Congress is eyeing a revival in Assam with State Congress President Gaurav Gogoi at the head of a six-party bloc, including the Raijor Dal of activist Akhil Gogoi, and Lurinjyoti Gogoi-led Assam Jatiya Parishad.
More than 2.5 crore voters, comprising almost an identical representation of male and female voters at around 1.25 crore each, and 318 transgender voters, make Assam’s roles.
The voter list also includes about 6.42 lakh first-time voters in the 18–19 age group.
In Kerala, the octagenerian Communist Party of India-Marxist leader and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is leading the fight for the survival of a Communist government at the last red bastion in India.
Incidentally, the record of the two opposing coalition (LDF and UDF) alternately sharing power in Kerala in the last four decades was broken by the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) in 2021.
The CPI-M-led LDF earlier won the state elections in 1980, 1987, 1996, 2006, 2016, and again in 2021.
It was the first time in 40 years where an incumbent government returned to office twice in a row.
However, the Opposition bloc of United Democratic Front (UDF), led by the Congress, is eyeing its chance to return to power.
It formed a government soon after its formation in 1981, returning in 1982 after a brief spell of President’s Rule.
The coalition has since won elections to the State Legislature in 1982, 1991, 2001, and 2011.
Kerala has more than 2.71 voters, with women at 1.39 crore surpassing the 1.32 crore men, and 273 transgender voters, where first-time voters in the 18-19 age bracket number around 4.66 lakh.
In Puducherry, the NDA government looks set to return to power, where Chief Minister N. Rangaswamy of the principal ally All India N.R. Congress (AINRC) is looking at a possible fifth term in power.
The 76-year-old leader is known for his administrative focus and repeated tenures since rising through the Congress, serving as a state Minister in the 1990s.
He first assumed office as the Chief Minister in October 2001, and again in 2006.
However, Rangaswamy stepped down from office in August 2008 after differences within the Congress.
He then formed the AINRC, contested the 2011 Assembly elections, and returned again as the head of Cabinet for the third time.
Between 2016 and 2021, he was the Leader of the Opposition in Puducherry Assembly during the Congress-led government.
Rangaswamy was sworn in as the Puducherry Chief Minister for the fourth time in 2021, with his party a part of the NDA.
The Union Territory’s 9.44-lakh electorate comprises 4.43 lakh men, five lakh women, and 139 third gender voters, with 23,033 first time electors between 18-19 years of age.
(IANS)
