Assam, Puducherry record highest-ever voter turnouts | India News
Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala and Puducherry on Thursday saw a record voter turnout, with Election Commission officials describing it as a “validation” of intensive revision and revision of voter lists and a sign of people’s “unwavering confidence in the electoral process”. Voter turnout exceeded previous peaks – reaching an all-time high of 91.2% in Puducherry and 85.8% in Assam, while Kerala’s 78.2% was the state’s highest since 1987. Officials said the final figure could rise after the reports are consolidated. Puducherry surpassed its previous high of 86.2% from 2011, while Assam broke its 2016 record of 84.7% when the BJP formed its first government, ousting the Congress after its three-term unbroken run. In Assam, voter turnout is the highest since the first election in 1951. Congratulating voters in Assam and Puducherry, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said the elections were “a historic testimony not just for India but for the entire democratic world”. An EC official said on Thursday that Bihar has repeated its election success story in November 2025, recording the highest voter turnout in the state. Officials said the removal of dead, shifted, absent and fake voters reduced the total roll, increasing the voting percentage. Another said door-to-door counting doubled as voter awareness campaigns boosted participation. “It has made voters aware of their voting rights, thereby increasing enthusiasm,” he said. “Electors… have full confidence in the SIR, despite questions raised by opposition parties,” another EC official said, adding that the exercise validated both roll accuracy and election management. Kerala’s electorate shrank by about 9 lakh (3.2%), Puducherry’s by 7.6% or 77,367 voters, and Assam by about 2.4 lakh, a net deletion of about 1% of its draft voters.
Muslim majority seats increased in Assam
In Assam, participation has increased unevenly. Muslim-majority constituencies led the spike, with Dalgaon in Darang district recording 94.5% voter turnout and 15 similar constituencies crossing 90%. The Hindu-majority belt of Upper Assam logged around 82%, lower than the state average and slightly lower than in 2021. Bodo region averaged 85%, Barak Valley 82.9%, while the hill districts of Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasa also recorded the lowest at 74.2%. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma called the participation “not ordinary but historic” and projected a clear mandate. “I think we will secure more than 90 seats (in the 126-member assembly). Even if we touch 100, it will not be surprising,” he said. Assam’s single-phase election was marked by sporadic clashes in multiple constituencies that resulted in around 30 injuries and seven arrests. In Kerala, voters turned out despite the heat, with several districts exceeding 80%. Queues continued even after the official closing time. Prominent politicians including CM Pinarayi Vijayan, Congress’s VD Satisan and BJP’s Rajeev Chandrasekhar voted early. Film personalities like Mammootty, Mohanlal, Suraj Venjarmudu and Asif Ali also voted. In Thiruvananthapuram, first-time voters received halwa boxes and thank you cards as part of campaigning efforts.
