Guwahati/Thiruvanthapuram/ New Delhi, April 10 -- Assembly elections in Assam and Puducherry produced record voter turnouts on Thursday while Kerala recorded its highest participation in nearly four decades, as all three went to the polls in a single phase - and a sharp reduction in electoral rolls may have amplified the headline percentages across all three. Election Commission data till 11pm showed Assam turnout at 85.83% of its 25 million electors, Kerala at 78.27% of its 27.1 million and Puducherry at 89.87% of 950,311. All three improved substantially on their 2021 figures of 82.05%, 74.06% and 81.7% respectively. The previous bests were 84.64% in Assam in 2016, 79.9% in Kerala in 1987, and 85.7% in Puducherry in 2006 - meaning Assam and Puducherry set new records while Kerala fell just short of its 1987 peak - although the poll body is expected to release final turnout numbers only later. A significant factor in the elevated percentages was the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Kerala and Puducherry, and the Special Revision (SR) in Assam. The total number of electors in Kerala fell 8.42% from 27.9 million, in Puducherry 11.67% from 1.2 million, and in Assam 0.97% from 25.2 million - the last also reflecting delimitation of assembly and parliamentary seats in 2023. A smaller denominator inflates the turnout percentage even when absolute voter numbers remain comparable. Votes will be counted on May 4, along with Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. The Election Commission said polling in the three states and the Union territory was peaceful, with sporadic incidents of violence at a few places. The high-stakes contest in Kerala is three-way: the incumbent CPM-led Left Democratic Front, seeking a record third consecutive term, faces the Congress-led United Democratic Front, which hopes to ride anti-incumbency back to power after a decade, and the BJP-led NDA, which holds no seats in the outgoing assembly and is seeking to break the state's established political duopoly. Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, contesting his third consecutive election from the party stronghold of Dharmadam, cast his vote at a polling booth at an Upper Primary school in Pinarayi village. Leader of opposition VD Satheesan voted with family members at a booth at Kesari Arts and Science College in Paravur, a constituency he has represented continuously since 2001. BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar also voted in the early hours. "Kerala is on a path to become a developed state with achievements across sectors that must continue uninterrupted. People realise that only the LDF can take the state forward," said Vijayan after voting. Satheesan predicted a UDF sweep, claiming the alliance would win over 100 of the 140 seats. "In the last three months, I have travelled the length and breadth of the state four times. I have a clear understanding of the public mood," he said....