Stage set for high-stake contest in Kerala, Assam, bypolls in 3 states tomorrow

VOters crossways multiple states and unification Territories ar go under to head up for assembly elections and by-polls on April 9, with high-stakes contests in Assam, Kerala, and Puducherry. In Goa, Karnataka, Nagaland and Tripura bypolls will take place.According to the Election Commission, polling will begin from 7 am to 6 pm across states. Elaborate security arrangements have been made, and polling materials, including electronic voting machines (EVMs), were handed over to polling personnel in Kerala, Assam and Puducherry.Assembly elections in Kerala, Assam and PuducherryAssam assembly pollsAssam polls on Thursday will decide the fate of 722 candidates fighting for the 126-member state Assembly. Poll officials said that 31,940 polling stations have been set up in 35 districts for the single-phase polling.Assam government has also declared a public holiday for all government and private offices, as well as urban local bodies, educational institutions and business establishments on Thursday.Polling will see 2.50 crore electorate, out of which 6,42,314 voters are in the age group of 18-19 years.In Assam, the campaign centred around Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s governance record and the Congress challenge led by Gaurav Gogoi. The run-up to the polls saw allegations traded between the BJP and Congress.Also read: Assam assembly elections 2026: CM Himanta to contest from Jalukbari as BJP releases candidate list for pollsKerala assembly electionsAfter nearly a month of intense campaigning, Kerala is set for a crucial Assembly election on Thursday, with 2.71 crore voters poised to cast their vote.Voting is scheduled to be held from 7 am to 6 pm across all 140 constituencies, where 883 candidates are in the fray.The contest, though triangular, is rooted in Kerala's traditionally bipolar political landscape, where power has largely alternated between the LDF and the UDF.Led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, the Left Front has foregrounded its 10-year governance record, highlighting infrastructure development and welfare schemesPuducherry assembly electionsAround 9.5 lakh voters are set to decide the electoral fate of 294 candidates contesting in the Puducherry Assembly election.Polling will begin at 7 am across Puducherry and its enclaves of Karaikal, Mahe, and Yanam, which together account for 30 Assembly seatsA total of 1,099 polling stations have been established, of which 209 have been identified as vulnerable, prompting heightened security measures.The NDA alliance (AINRC, BJP, AIADMK, LJK) is aiming to retain its “double engine” government in the Union Territory. The INDIA bloc (Congress, DMK, VCK) is mounting a strong challenge.Alternatively, actor Vijay’s newly formed TVK has emerged as a significant third force, fielding candidates across constituencies.Also read: High-octane campaigning ends for Kerala, Assam, Puducherry ahead of April 9 pollBy-polls in Nagaland, Karnataka and TripuraNagaland by-pollIn Nagaland, a bypoll will take place for the Koridang Assembly in Nagaland’s Mokokchung district. The bypoll, scheduled for Thursday, was necessitated by the death of sitting BJP MLA Imkong L. Imchen in November last year.Ahead of the bypoll, security has been heightened with night curfew imposed in four villages following election-related violence that left one person dead.A total of six candidates are in the fray. The BJP (part of the ruling PDA) has fielded the late MLA’s son Daochier I. Imchen, while the Congress has nominated T. Chalukumba Ao.The constituency has 22,382 voters, with counting of votes scheduled for May 4.Karnataka bypollVoting for bypolls in Karnataka’s Bagalkot and Davanagere South Assembly segments will be held on Thursday.The by-elections were necessitated by the deaths of senior Congress MLAs H Y Meti and Shamanur Shivashankarappa, with counting scheduled for May 4In Bagalkot and Davanagere South, over 4.9 lakh voters combined will cast their votes across 603 polling stations, with nine candidates in Bagalkot and 25 candidates in Davanagere South in the fray.Also read: Mallikarjun Kharge expresses regret after BJP claims he called Gujaratis ‘illiterate’Goa bypollThe Bombay High Court quashed the ECI’s notification for the Ponda Assembly bypoll in Goa a day before voting, citing a violation of a law as the Assembly’s term is set to expire within a yearThe election was cancelled despite postal ballots already being cast, with the court refusing to stay its orderAlso read: From margins to muscle, BJP’s Kerala push intensifiesTripura bypollNorth Tripura's Dharmanagar Assembly is heading for bypolls tomorrow, with 46,142 voters set to vote among six candidates.The bypoll was necessitated by the death of BJP leader and Assembly Speaker Biswa Bandhu Sen in December last year.(With input from agencies)