Elections 2021 LIVE Updates: 4 States, 1 Union Territory Vote In Busiest Election Day

Elections 2021: Social distancing being maintained at a polling station in Puducherry.

After weeks-long campaign sessions, marathon rallies and mammoth road shows, the southern states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala and the union territory of Puducherry will vote in the third phase of the eight-phased election today. Voting in West Bengal and Assam - which voted in the first two phases - will also take place in the third phase.

Along with the state polls, voting will also take place for Lok Sabha bypolls for Tamil Nadu's Kanyakumari and Kerala's Malappuram seats.

In Kerala, some 2.74 crore voters will exercise their franchise to decide the fate of 957 candidates including high-profile leaders and independents in 140 Assembly constituencies across the state. The ruling LDF is hoping to retain power for a second consecutive term breaking the state's four-decades-old trend of alternating between the UDF every five year.

Neighbouring Tamil Nadu will witness a close fight between AIADMK-BJP combine and the DMK-Congress coalition. Actor-politician Kamal Haasan's Makkal Needhi Maiam, and TTV Dhinakaran's Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam are also contesting for the 234 seats in the state.

Meanwhile, the union territory of Puducherry will see a contest between the Congress-DMK alliance and the opposition tie-up of All India NR Congress, BJP, and AIADMK.

In Assam - which has voted in the first two phases - voting will be held in 40 seats. Bengal, which will also vote in the third phase, will see polling in 31 seats.

Here are the live updates of assembly elections in West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry:

Apr 06, 2021 08:29 (IST)

Polling underway in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore #TamilNaduElections2021 #ElectionsWithNDTV

Apr 06, 2021 08:22 (IST)

Election News: Voting will be held in 40 seats in Assam

Apr 06, 2021 08:21 (IST)

Elections 2021: PM Modi's Appeal In 4 Languages As Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Bengal, Assam Vote Today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted in Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil, Assamese and English as he made a strong appeal to voters in four states and Puducherry, a union territory, to step out and use their democratic right."

Apr 06, 2021 08:18 (IST)

BJP Puducherry President and candidate from Lawspet constituency, V Saminathan, casts his vote (ANI) #PuducherryElections2021 #ElectionsWithNDTV

Apr 06, 2021 08:16 (IST)

DMK President MK Stalin cast his vote in Teynampet (ANI) #TamilNaduElections2021 #ElectionsWithNDTV

Apr 06, 2021 08:16 (IST)

Assembly Elections 2021- Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, E Sreedharan Vote Early In Today's Polls

Voting began at 7 am in four states - Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Bengal and Assam - and the union territory of Puducherry. Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan and E Sreedharan were among the early voters in their respective stattes.

Apr 06, 2021 08:07 (IST)

Long queues witnessed at Uzanbazar polling station in Guwahati #AssamAssemblyPolls #ElectionsWithNDTV

Apr 06, 2021 07:54 (IST)

West Bengal Assembly Elections 2021: BJP candidate from Diamond Harbour casts vote

BJP candidate from Diamond Harbour in South 24 Parganas, Dipak Haldar casts his vote at Abdalpur F P Primary School in the district for the third phase of West Bengal assembly elections.

Apr 06, 2021 07:50 (IST)

Makkal Needhi Maiam chief Kamal Haasan casts his vote at Chennai High School, Teynampet in Chennai (ANI) #TamilNaduElections2021 #ElectionsWithNDTV

Apr 06, 2021 07:45 (IST)

Tamil Nadu phase 3 polling: Rajinikanth casts vote in Thousand Lights constituency

Actor Rajinikanth casts vote at a polling booth in Stella Maris of Thousand Lights constituency. The key candidates in the constituency are Dr. Ezhilan Naganathan of the DMK and Khushbu Sundar of the BJP.

Apr 06, 2021 07:42 (IST)

Two senior citizens cast their votes for the third and final phase of #AssamAssemblyPolls Visuals from a polling booth in Kokrajhar (ANI) #ElectionsWithNDTV

Apr 06, 2021 07:41 (IST)

Elections 2021: Puducherry votes for 30 assembly seats

Puducherry will see a contest between the Congress-DMK alliance and the opposition tie-up of All India NR Congress, BJP, and AIADMK.

Apr 06, 2021 07:39 (IST)

Makkal Needhi Maiam chief Kamal Haasan, his daughters Shruti Haasan and Akshara Haasan stand in a queue as they await their turn to cast vote. Visuals from Chennai High School, Teynampet in Chennai (ANI) #TamilNaduElections #ElectionsWithNDTV

Apr 06, 2021 07:31 (IST)

Tamil Nadu phase 3 voting: Actor Ajith with wife Shalini at Thiruvanmiyur polling station

Actor Ajith with wife Shalini at Thiruvanmiyur polling station. Thiruvottiyur is one of the many assembly consetuencies in Tamil Nadu that will see close fight between the DMK and AIADMK. The constituency has been without an MLA since the passing of  K P P Samy in February 2020. The by-elections were postponed due to the onset of COVID-19 pandemic. 

Apr 06, 2021 07:24 (IST)

Tamil Nadu assembly election 2021: EPS's biggest election against DMK-Congress, Kamal Haasan

Tamil Nadu votes for a new government today in a single-phase Assembly election that pits Chief Minister Edapaddi K Palaniswami and his ruling AIADMK, which has allied with the BJP, against the MK-Stalin-led DMK-Congress combine that swept 38 of 39 Lok Sabha seats in the state in 2019. 

Apr 06, 2021 07:19 (IST)

'Metro Man' E Sreedharan casts vote at a polling booth in Ponnani (ANI) #KeralaElections2021 #ElectionsWithNDTV

Apr 06, 2021 07:10 (IST)

Kerala assembly election 2021: 'Metro Man' E Sreedharan among first to vote in Kerala

'Metro Man' E Sreedharan arrives at a polling station in Ponnani to cast his vote. Mr Sreedharan is BJP's candidate from Palakkad.

Apr 06, 2021 06:55 (IST)

"It is new experience but I'm quietly confident. I don't necessarily have to show my confidence. In terms of support I've got from people, I think I'll win": Swapan Dasgupta, BJP candidate from Tarakeshwar (ANI)

Apr 06, 2021 06:49 (IST)

Social distancing being maintained at a polling station in Assam's Kokrajhar.

Apr 06, 2021 06:43 (IST)

Mock poll underway at a polling booth in Diamond Harbour, South 24 Parganas district (ANI) #WestBengalPolls #ElectionsWithNDTV