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After witnessing a fiery election campaign, Assam, Kerala and Puducherry have entered a 48-hour silent period which prohibits public meetings, rallies, processions, opinion polls and any voter outreach.

 

The Election Commission of India (ECI) imposed the silence period on Tuesday evening.

 

The measure also bans the dissemination of poll-related content on electronic media, social media, bulk SMS, or calls. Display of opinion polls and survey results on TV is also barred. 

 

A single-phase election will be held on Thursday in a total of 126 constituencies in Assam, 140 in Kerala and 30 in Puducherry.

 

Polling officers on Wednesday began preparing for the democratic exercise.

 

Election materials, including EVMs, were handed over to polling personnel in the regions. 

 

In Assam, some 250 million voters will cast their ballots for 722 candidates. 

 

The state's Chief Electoral Officer, Anurag Goel, urged all candidates, political parties and media organizations to strictly adhere to the ECI guidelines, cautioning that any violation would lead to penal action.

 

India's Central Armed Police Forces, including the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), have been deployed to ensure security at the polling booths. 

 

Meanwhile, in Kerala, six people were injured on Tuesday in a clash between workers of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kannur as campaigning came to a close.

 

The southern state has 27 million eligible voters and 890 candidates in the fray. 

 

In the union territory of Puducherry, 950,000 voters will exercise their franchise, with 294 candidates putting their hat in the ring.