Polling for 126 Assembly seats in Assam, 140 in Kerala, and 30 in Puducherry began at 7:00am on Thursday. In Assam, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is looking to secure a third consecutive term while the Congress-led opposition coalition hopes to return to power after being ousted in 2016. A total of 722 candidates, including Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Raijor Dal leader Akhil Gogoi, and AJP president Lurinjyoti Gogoi, are in the fray.