Impressive turnout in high-stakes Assembly elections

Chennai/ Thiruvananthapuram /Kolkata: A high voter turnout of 65 percent to over 82 percent was recorded in Assembly elections in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Assam and West Bengal on Tuesday, with the Congress along with its allies like the DMK locked in a keen contest to regain turf in South India.

Polling was held in 475 seats across the four states and the Union Territory of Puducherry, and the remaining phases will cover only West Bengal, before the counting of votes on May 2.

In Kerala, where the Left is hoping to beat anti-incumbency to retain power, a feat unseen in four decades, and the BJP is making efforts to build inroads, around 74 percent polling was recorded in the 140 seats till 7 pm. There was nearly 65 percent voting in Tamil Nadu for 234 Assembly constituencies and around 80 percent in Puducherry's 30 seats.

The three-phase Assembly polls culminated in Assam with 82.33 percent polling in 40 seats in the final round in the state where the ruling BJP is battling the Congress-led alliance to retain power.

The trend of high turnout and violence during polling continued in West Bengal as the ruling Trinamool Congress, the BJP and the Left-Congress alliance put up an intense fight in the high-stakes contest. Five candidates, including two women, were assaulted in poll-related clashes as over 77 percent voting was recorded in 31 seats in West Bengal in the third phase.

Violence was reported in areas like Uluberia, Khanakul, Falta, Canning Purba, Durbrajpur and Hooghly, where a BJP supporter's family member was killed. The state is having eight-phase elections.

Stray incidents of clashes between workers of rival parties were also reported in other states.

The massive polling exercise following COVID-19 health protocol and involving lakhs of personnel began at 7 am and the last hour from 6 pm to 7 pm was set aside for COVID-19 patients and those under isolation. With agency inputs