174 Million Indians Vote Across Three States; Assam's Voter Roll Purge Leaves Thousands Unable to Cast Ballots

Voters in three Indian states and territories went to polls on Wednesday in single-phase elections that will determine 296 legislative seats and test the BJP's ability to hold power in the country's northeast while breaking through in the communist-governed south.

Turnout was high across all three regions. Assam recorded 85.5%, Kerala 78.3%, and the union territory of Puducherry 86.9%. Results will be counted on May 4.

What's at Stake

These are elections for state legislatures -- the equivalent of US gubernatorial and state assembly races -- in a country of 1.4 billion people. India's state elections determine who governs health, education, policing, and land policy for populations larger than most countries.

Assam (126 seats): The BJP, led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, is seeking an unprecedented third consecutive term in the northeastern state. The party has governed since 2016, when it ousted Congress for the first time. Assam has 35 million people and borders Bangladesh.

Kerala (140 seats): Power in this southern state has alternated between a Congress-led coalition (UDF) and a communist-led coalition (LDF) for decades without exception. The LDF currently holds power. The BJP has invested heavily in Kerala but has historically struggled to win more than a handful of seats. Kerala's electorate of 27.1 million voters cast ballots across 30,495 booths.

Puducherry (30 seats): The small union territory on India's southeast coast, a former French colony, elected its 30-member assembly. The BJP relies on a regional party coalition to compete here.

West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, the two largest states in this election cycle, will vote in later phases this month.

The Voter Roll Controversy in Assam

The most significant issue surrounding today's vote is not who will win in Assam -- the BJP is widely expected to retain power -- but who was prevented from voting at all.

The Election Commission's revised electoral rolls, released on February 10, deleted 243,000 names in Assam through a process called the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). Opposition parties and Muslim civil society groups say the deletions disproportionately targeted Bengali-speaking Muslims, who make up more than a third of Assam's population.

Chief Minister Sarma has been remarkably explicit about the intent. At a government event in Nalbari district on January 24, he said:

"Which Hindu has got notice? Which Assamese Muslim has got notice? Notices have been served to Miyas and such people, else they will walk over our heads."

When asked directly about the political motivation, he said: "There is nothing to hide. We are giving them trouble."

Sarma also said notices, evictions, and police action were part of a coordinated strategy: "Some will get notices during SR, some for eviction, some from border police."

On the ground today, the impact was visible. At polling stations in Kachutoli village, about 50 kilometers from the state capital Guwahati, more than 2,000 Bengali-speaking Muslim voters found their names missing from rolls. Nearly 300 voters gathered at two booths hoping for last-minute restoration. They were turned away.

"This is the first time I could not vote," said voter Ibrahim Ali. "How can a democratically elected government snatch the right of its citizens?"

The BJP also fielded zero Muslim candidates across all 126 constituencies in Assam -- a state where Muslims are 34% of the population.

Kerala: High Turnout, Traditional Pattern

Kerala's election drew 78.3% turnout, with significant variation by district. Kozhikode in the north led at 81.4%, while Pathanamthitta in the south recorded the lowest at 70.8%. Several constituencies in Palakkad and Malappuram districts exceeded 83%.

Historical precedent strongly favors the Congress-led UDF, since Kerala has never broken its pattern of alternating between the two major coalitions. If the pattern holds, the LDF will lose power. The BJP has attempted to position itself as a third force, but analysts note the party has struggled to replicate its national success in Kerala's more politically fragmented landscape.

What Comes Next

Exit polls are banned until all phases of voting are complete -- West Bengal and Tamil Nadu still have phases remaining later in April. Official results for all five states and Puducherry will be announced on May 4.

The outcomes will be read as a referendum on the BJP's governance model in the northeast and its expansion prospects in southern India, where the party has historically been weakest.