Election officials are on their way to polling stations after collecting polling materials in Meenchanda, Kozhikode, on Wednesday | Photo Credit: K Ragesh

As the politically charged states of Assam and Kerala and the Union Territory of Puducherry start polling on Thursday, prestige duels, personal feuds and an extraordinary showdown in the capital have set the stage for a dramatic day at the ballot box.

A political storm raged in Delhi after Opposition parties dubbed the Parliament presiding officers’ rejection of impeachment proceedings against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar a “strangulation of democracy”. The flashpoint followed Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien, alleging that Kumar told him and fellow MPs to “get lost” when they raised concerns over the deletion of 91 lakh names from West Bengal’s electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision.

Combat of honour

But if Delhi saw fireworks, Assam delivered political theatre at its most combustible. The contest in the tea state is framed as a prestige duel between Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, defending his Jalukbari bastion, and Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi, making a high-profile Assembly debut from Jorhat.

Equally consequential is the fallout of delimitation, which critics say has “crunched” Muslim representation by redistributing minority-heavy pockets into Hindu-dominated or reserved constituencies. Estimates suggest Muslim-majority seats have dropped from roughly 35 to about 20, reshaping electoral arithmetic in districts such as Barpeta and the Barak Valley.

A toxic sideshow has sharpened tensions further. Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera faces police action after alleging undisclosed foreign assets linked to Sarma’s family and suggesting preparations to “flee the country” in case of defeat. Sarma responded with blistering rhetoric, branding Congress leaders “madmen” and threatening, “Pawan Khera ka pawan peda bana doonga… usko peloonga (I will crush Pawan Khera)”.

Slow-burning suspense

If Assam has delivered spectacle, Kerala promises suspense, the slow-burning kind decided by organisation and turnout. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is seeking a third straight term, while Opposition leader V.D. Satheesan defends his North Paravur constituency even as he leads the UDF’s comeback push.

Among key flashpoints is Nemom, where Minister V Sivankutty faces BJP State president Rajeev Chandrasekhar and Congress’s K.S. Sabarinadhan in a keen triangular fight seen as crucial to the BJP’s quest for a legislative foothold. Other hotspots include Palakkad and Peravoor, where former Health Minister KK Shailaja is attempting to flip a closely fought UDF-held seat.

Puducherry, meanwhile, remains a compact sideshow shaped by shifting local alliances. As campaigning ends, Thursday’s polling will test not just party strength but nerves and credibility in elections already marked by drama.

Published on April 8, 2026