Millions vote in Assam and Kerala as India begins key state elections

New Delhi: Voting began on Thursday in India’s state elections, with millions of people casting ballots in Assam and Kerala as the country opened a series of four important regional contests this month.

Polling was also under way in the federally administered territory of Puducherry, while voters in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu are scheduled to go to the polls later this month. Results from all the elections are expected on May 4.

Although these state-level elections do not directly determine the stability of India’s federal government, they are being closely monitored as an indicator of public sentiment toward the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The elections are taking place against the backdrop of the war in the Middle East, which has caused some fuel shortages. Even so, Modi has kept domestic prices under control.

Polls point to mixed outcomes across states

Opinion surveys cited in the report suggest that a BJP-led alliance is likely to secure a comfortable victory in one state, while two other contests are expected to be closely fought. The fourth state is projected to remain with the opposition.

In Assam, where a BJP-led alliance has governed for two consecutive terms, public opinion platform Vote Vibe expects the alliance to return to power. In Kerala, the opposition is projected to retain control.

In West Bengal, the removal of a large number of names from voter rolls during a revision exercise has emerged as a major issue. A Vote Vibe survey conducted for broadcaster CNN-News18 showed the ruling regional party ahead in a close race.

The BJP, which has never formed a government in West Bengal, has said it wants to win there to curb what it describes as illegal immigration from neighbouring Muslim-majority Bangladesh.

In Tamil Nadu, Vote Vibe said a coalition that includes the BJP is expected to pose a close challenge to the ruling regional party.

Energy concerns in focus during campaign

Vote Vibe founder Amitabh Tiwari said it remained uncertain how much global energy disruptions would influence the elections. However, he said surveys conducted by his agency indicated that voters generally approved of the Modi government’s management of energy security since the Iran war began in late February.

India has not increased retail prices of regular petrol and diesel despite a rise in global prices. It has also redirected cooking gas meant for some industries toward household consumption.

India usually depends on the Middle East for more than 40 per cent of its crude oil imports and more than 90pc of its cooking gas imports.