Thiruvananthapuram (Keralam) [India], April 9 : Governor of Keralam, Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, cast his vote on Thursday at a polling station in Thiruvananthapuram during the ongoing Keralam Assembly elections.
After casting his vote, Governor Arlekar told the media that he was "very happy" to have participated in the electoral process and appealed to all citizens of the state to come out in large numbers to perform their "sacred duty."
"I am very happy that I have voted, and I request all the people in the state to come out in large numbers and do your sacred duty. Democracy is very deep-rooted not only in our soil but also in our hearts. Let us manifest that duty of democracy," he said.
Several prominent leaders in Keralam exercised their voting rights on Thursday as polling for the 2026 Assembly elections gained momentum across the state.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary MA Baby cast his vote in Thiruvananthapuram, while Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan voted at Pinarayi RC Amala Basic Upper Primary School in Kannur. Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan cast his vote at Kesari Government Arts and Science College in Ernakulam.
Among other voters, Keralam Congress president Sunny Joseph and MP Hibi Eden voted in Kannur and Kochi, respectively, while Congress Rajya Sabha MP Jebi Mather also participated.
BJP leaders Anil K Antony and former Union Minister V Muraleedharan voted in Thiruvananthapuram. Actor-turned-politician and UDF candidate Ramesh Pisharody cast his vote in Palakkad. Senior Congress leader K Muraleedharan voted at Jawahar Nagar LP School in Thiruvananthapuram.
Voting for 126 seats in Assam, 140 in Keralam, and 30 in Puducherry is underway. The counting of votes will take place on May 4.
Meanwhile, voter turnout at 9 am on Thursday in Keralam was at 16.23 per cent, as per the data shared by the Election Commission of India (ECI) for the ongoing 2026 Assembly elections.
In Keralam, over 2.6 crore electors will decide the fate of 883 candidates across 140 constituencies. Of the 2,69,53,644 registered voters across the state, there are 1,38,27,319 women voters, and the number of male voters stands at 1,31,26,048. Officials said that there are 277 third gender voters in the state.
Among the electorate, nearly 4,24,518 voters fall in the 18-19 age group, while 2,04,608 voters are aged 85 years and above. To facilitate safe and secure polling, a total of 30,471 polling stations have been set up.
While the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF is looking for a historic third consecutive term, the Congress-led UDF is attempting to come back to power amid anti-incumbency trends in the state.