Assembly polls: Voting begins in Assam, Kerala and Puducherry

Voting in the Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala and Puducherry began on Thursday.

All constituencies in the two states and the Union Territory will be covered in a single phase. The polling began at 7 am and will conclude at 5 pm. The votes will be counted on May 4.

In Assam, more than 1.5 lakh security personnel have been deployed to cover 31,940 polling stations in the 126 constituencies, PTI reported.

There are about 2.5 crore electors in the state, including 6.4 lakh first-time voters.

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In Kerala, more than 880 candidates are in the fray for the 140 constituencies. About 2.7 crore voters are eligible to cast their ballots in the state.

The Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left Democratic Front is seeking a rare third consecutive term, facing off against the Congress-led United Democratic Front and the Bharatiya Janata Party’s National Democratic Alliance.

In Puducherry, 9.5 lakh voters are choosing from 294 candidates in 30 constituencies.

The NDA, which is led by Chief Minister N Rangasamy’s All India NR Congress in the Union Territory, is aiming to retain power. It is facing candidates from the Opposition INDIA bloc mainly comprising the...

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