New Delhi, April 8 (NationPress) Over 6.1 crore electors are anticipated to cast their votes on Thursday as the states of Assam and Kerala, along with the Union Territory of Puducherry, engage in Assembly elections through a single-phase voting process.

This electoral round will encompass 140 seats in Kerala, 126 seats in Assam, and 30 seats in Puducherry, acting as a political gauge and mid-term assessment for both regional and national political factions.

Election results are set to be announced on May 4, coinciding with outcomes from Tamil Nadu, where voting is scheduled for April 23, alongside West Bengal, which will have another phase on April 29.

In Assam, the BJP aspires to maintain power with its NDA partners for the third consecutive term.

The current Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, is spearheading the party's campaign, succeeding Sarbananda Sonowal, who held the Chief Minister position from 2016-2021.

On the other hand, the Congress is aiming for a resurgence in Assam, led by State Congress President Gaurav Gogoi, who heads a six-party alliance that includes Raijor Dal and the Assam Jatiya Parishad led by Lurinjyoti Gogoi.

Assam's electoral roster includes over 2.5 crore voters, with a near-equal representation of male and female voters—approximately 1.25 crore each—and 318 transgender individuals.

Additionally, the voter list comprises about 6.42 lakh first-time voters aged 18–19.

In Kerala, the veteran leader of the Communist Party of India-Marxist, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, is fighting to sustain a Communist-led government at the last remaining bastion in India.

Notably, the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) broke the pattern of alternating power between the two coalitions (LDF and UDF) in Kerala with its victory in 2021.

The LDF has previously triumphed in state elections in 1980, 1987, 1996, 2006, 2016, and again in 2021.

This marked the first instance in 40 years where an incumbent government won re-election consecutively.

However, the opposition coalition, United Democratic Front (UDF), led by the Congress, is aiming for a return to power, having previously established a government shortly after its formation in 1981.

The UDF has secured elections in 1982, 1991, 2001, and 2011.

Kerala has over 2.71 crore voters, with women at 1.39 crore outnumbering men at 1.32 crore, alongside 273 transgender voters, while first-time voters aged 18-19 number around 4.66 lakh.

In Puducherry, the NDA government appears poised for re-election, with Chief Minister N. Rangaswamy of the primary ally All India N.R. Congress (AINRC) seeking a potential fifth term.

The 76-year-old leader is recognized for his administrative prowess and has had multiple tenures since his rise within the Congress, initially serving as a state Minister in the 1990s.

He first took office as Chief Minister in October 2001 and again in 2006.

After stepping down in August 2008 due to internal party disagreements, he founded the AINRC, contested the 2011 Assembly elections, and returned as Chief Minister for the third time.

From 2016 to 2021, he served as the Leader of the Opposition during the Congress-led government in Puducherry.

Rangaswamy was sworn in as Chief Minister for the fourth time in 2021 under the NDA banner.

The electorate of the Union Territory numbers 9.44 lakh, including 4.43 lakh men, five lakh women, and 139 voters from the third gender, with 23,033 first time electors aged 18-19.