Assembly elections 2016: 57.83% voter turnout recorded in Kerala till 3 pm

5:05 p.m. IST - 57.83 % voter turnout was recorded in Kerala till 3pm.

4:03 p.m. IST - 63.7% voter turnout was recorded in Tamil Nadu till 3 p.m.

4:00 p.m. IST - Political parties in Tamil Nadu have urged the Election Commission to extend polling time in areas that saw heavy rains on Monday. 

3:16 p.m. IST - 50.2 % voter turnout has been recorded in Kerala till 3 p.m.

3:07 p.m. IST - Puducherry has recorded 54.64% polling till 2 p.m.

2: 14 p.m. IST - Polling time in some districts in Tamil Nadu may be extended due to heavy rains.
"8 districts witnessing heavy rain. Have recommended to extend poll time, expecting ECI nod by 3pm," Rajesh Lahoni, Chief Electoral Officer TN told ANI. 

1:37 p.m. IST - 42.1 percent voter turnout was recorded till 1 PM in Tamil Nadu while 45 percent voter turnout was recorded till 1 PM in Kerala.

1: 28 p.m. IST - Members of Chennai's transgender community came forward to vote on Monday. 

11:52 a.m. IST - 28.5% voter turnout has been recorded till 11 am in Kerala.

11:24 a.m. IST: There are reports of heavy rain in Chennai.

10:57 a.m. IST - Kerala CM Chandy told ANI that the the ground situation in Kerala was "no to BJP side."

10:30 a.m. IST - Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy cast his vote at a polling booth in Kottayam. 

10:02 a.m. IST - 13.5% voter turnout was recorded till 9:30 am in Kerala. 

9: 56 a.m. IST - Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa votes in the Tamil Nadu elections. She cast her vote at Chennai's Stella Maris College, according to ANI. 

9:42 a.m. IST - Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa is set to cast her vote.

9:20 a.m. IST - 18.3% polling was recorded across Tamil Nadu till 9 a.m.

Polling in the assembly elections in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry began on Monday, and voters reportedly turned up at polling booths early in the day despite inclement weather in some areas. Rains were reported in some parts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose Bharatiya Janata Party is looking to make a foray into the southern states in this election, urged citizens to come out and vote. 

"Urging all voters in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry to vote in record numbers today & be a part of this festival of democracy," Modi tweeted. 

Popular actors Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan were among the early voters in Tamil Nadu, while DMK chief M Karunanidhi also showed up early to get his finger inked, according to ANI news agency. 

Of the 234, 233 assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu went to polls on Monday, with voting in two seats deferred by the election commission following cash distribution reports. 

In Kerala, where 140 seats are up for voting, Governor P Sathasivam and former defence minister and Congress leader AK Antony were among those who cast their votes early. 

"I'm very clear that we will get more seats than we got in last elections," Antony told ANI.