Assembly elections 2026 LIVE: Kerala poll turnout rises to 79.7% after inclusion of service voters’ postal ballots, says CEO

Subscribed with another email? Logout and Login with that one. Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription The View From India Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective. First Day First Show News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming. Today's Cache Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day. Science For All The weekly newsletter from science writers takes the jargon out of science and puts the fun in! Data Point Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers THEdge At the cutting edge of education and careers Health Matters Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there Gender Agenda Stories from beyond the binary. The Hindu On Books Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features. An official sets up a CCTV camera at a counting centre ahead of the result declaration of the Kerala Assembly elections, in Thiruvananthapuram. File | Photo Credit: - Kerala’s voter turnout in the April 9 Assembly elections has tentatively risen to 79.7% after the inclusion of service voters’ postal ballots, CEO Rathan U Kelkar said on Sunday (May 3, 2026). Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has ordered fresh voting across all 285 polling stations in the Falta Assembly constituency of West Bengal on May 21, even as repolling was held in 15 booths in Paschim Magrahat and Diamond Harbour assembly constituencies on Saturday (May 2, 2026). Also Read | Exit polls predictions made at BJP’s behest to demoralise TMC workers: Mamata The counting of votes will begin at 8 a.m. on Monday (May 4, 2026). The counting will begin with postal ballots, followed by the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). With the counting of votes polled in the April 9 Assembly elections in Kerala set to begin at begin at 8 a.m. on Monday (May 4), Chief Electoral Officer Kerala (CEO Kerala) Rathan U. Kelkar said that the declaration of results by the returning officers is expected by 5 p.m. the same day. Kerala Assembly election results expected by 5 p.m. on May 4; trends available at results.eci.gov.in. All arrangements have been made for the counting of votes for the Koridang Assembly Constituency byelection in Nagaland’s Mokokchung district, scheduled to be held on May 4, an official said. The bypoll, necessitated by the demise of sitting BJP MLA Imkong L Imchen, witnessed a voter turnout of 82.21 per cent on April 9, with 18,400 of the 22,382 registered electors exercising their franchise across 30 polling stations. Six candidates are in the fray for the seat, including BJP nominee Daochier I Imchen, who is also the consensus candidate of Peoples’ Democratic Alliance (PDA) government led by Naga Peoples’ Front (NPF), Congress candidate T Chalukumba Ao, NPP’s I Abenjang, and Independents Imchatoba Imchen, Imtiwapang, and Toshikaba. SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan said he hoped the LDF would retain power in Kerala while also predicting that the BJP would open its account in the Assembly this time. Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam represents the numerically strong Ezhava community in the State. Addressing a press conference, Mr. Natesan said exit polls had only indicated a marginal edge for the UDF and had not fully accounted for the BJP factor. “Exit polls do not always get it right. The BJP is a major factor that has not been adequately considered. They will win several seats. The BJP claims it can win around 14 seats. They may not win that many, but they will certainly open their account,” he said Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Jha dismisses exit poll predictions indicating Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) performance across Assam and West Bengal, saying that one must wait for the actual election results instead of relying on projections. Mr. Jha also questions the sample size and methodology of exit polls, asking how many voters polling agencies can realistically interact with in what he described as an “intense political climate.” “You can look at the history of exit polls... How many voters can you interact with that, too, in such an intense political climate... So, we should all wait for tomorrow... Counting should be done right after voting by deciding the timeline,” he adds. Asserting that the AIADMK-led NDA is poised for a “beautiful win” in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, BJP spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathy dismissed any possibility of a hung Assembly and said the DMK was on its way out. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Falta Assembly constituency Debangshu Panda on Sunday alleged large-scale irregularities during polling in parts of the constituency, including manipulation at select booths and incidents of voter intimidation. Speaking to ANI, Mr. Panda claimed that the party had raised objections over irregularities at several booths and demanded repolling in those areas, after which the Election Commission ord

Assembly elections 2026 LIVE: Kerala poll turnout rises to 79.7% after inclusion of service voters’ postal ballots, says CEO

Key takeaways

Also covered by

Assembly elections 2026 LIVE: Kerala poll turnout rises to 79.7% after inclusion of service voters’ postal ballots, says CEO

Key takeaways

Also covered by

More in international