Polling for Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala and Puducherry concluded peacefully on Thursday, with no untoward incidents reported, even as the two states and the UT registered their highest voter turnouts in the last 50 years.Assam recorded a turnout of 85.6 per cent till 8 pm, Kerala saw a turnout of 78.23 per cent and Puducherry registered 89.8 per cent, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI).Notably, in the 2021 Assembly elections, Assam had recorded a voter turnout of 82.04 per cent, while Kerala had registered 74.06 per cent and Puducherry had seen a turnout of 82.2 per cent.ECI sources said the record turnout showed that electors had strong trust in the poll body and in the transparently conducted special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in these states.Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, reacting to the high turnout, said, “The Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala and Puducherry are a historic testimony not only for India but for the entire democratic world. On behalf of the ECI, I congratulate each and every elector of Assam, Puducherry and Kerala for this historic achievement.”Prominent leaders whose electoral fate was sealed in the EVMs included Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, state BJP chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar and Puducherry Chief Minister N Rangaswamy.Besides the Assembly elections, byelections were also held for Bagalkot and Davanagere in Karnataka, Koridang in Nagaland and Dharmanagar in Tripura. These constituencies also witnessed a voter turnout of over 60 per cent.The BJP’s campaign, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, focused heavily on issues of illegal immigration and development.The poll campaign, especially in Assam, also saw sharp exchanges between the parties, with Congress leaders such as Pawan Khera and Gaurav Gogoi targeting Sarma. Tensions escalated after remarks about the Chief Minister’s wife led to an FIR against Khera, linked to allegations of her holding multiple passports.In Kerala, voting for the 140 Assembly seats saw Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan position the Left Democratic Front (LDF) as a “stability shield,” promising to strengthen welfare measures, particularly for returning migrants.Meanwhile, the United Democratic Front (UDF), led by VD Satheesan, criticised the government for slow industrial growth, arguing that recent geopolitical tensions had exposed the state’s dependence on West Asia.The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), under state unit chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar, highlighted the Centre’s evacuation preparedness and “Vande Bharat” readiness, aiming to appeal to middle-class voters with family ties to countries such as Iran and the UAE.The party campaigned on a development plank, urging voters to give it a foothold in the Assembly and promising accelerated growth in the state, often referred to as “God’s Own Country.”In Puducherry, the contest for the 30-member Assembly emerged as a prestige battle between the NDA and the opposition INDIA bloc, with both alliances investing heavily to secure control of the strategically important UT.