Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala is set to hold its local body elections in two phases on December 9 and 11, with counting scheduled for December 13. The elections will cover gram panchayats, block panchayats, district panchayats, and municipalities across the state.
State Election Commission official A. Shahjahan confirmed that all arrangements are complete and the Model Code of Conduct has come into effect.
The election notification will be issued on November 14, nominations filed on November 21, scrutiny conducted on November 22, and withdrawals allowed until November 24. Counting will begin at 8 a.m. on December 13, with all election processes expected to conclude by December 18. The new councils are scheduled to assume office by December 21.
The first phase of polling on December 9 will take place in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki, and Ernakulam districts, while the second phase on December 11 will cover Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur, and Kasaragod. Elections will be held in 1,199 local bodies, excluding Mattannur Municipality, with 23,576 wards, 33,746 polling stations, 1,37,922 ballot units, and 50,691 control units ready. Approximately 1.8 lakh officials will be deployed for polling, supported by 70,000 police personnel, bringing the total election workforce to nearly 2.5 lakh.
The final voters’ list, published on October 25, includes 1.33 crore men, 1.49 crore women, and 271 transgender voters. Malappuram district has the highest number of voters at 35.7 lakh, while Wayanad has the lowest at 6.4 lakh.
Currently, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) governs five of the six municipal corporations — Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kozhikode, Thrissur, and Kollam — with the United Democratic Front (UDF) controlling Kannur. The LDF also holds 571 gram panchayats, 113 block panchayats, and 11 district panchayats, while the UDF governs 351 gram panchayats, 38 block panchayats, and three district panchayats. The NDA leads in 12 gram panchayats, and Independents in seven. Among municipalities, the LDF controls 44, the UDF 41, and the BJP two — Palakkad and Pandalam.
The UDF has announced several ward-level candidates, including K.S. Sabarinadhan as its mayoral nominee for Thiruvananthapuram. The BJP, which fielded former DGP R. Sreelekha and ex-Asian Games medalist Padmini Thomas, faced some dissent from ally BDJS over seat-sharing. CPI(M) has yet to announce its candidate list.
State BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar said the elections give voters a chance to “vote for change for a new Kerala.” LDF convenor T.P. Ramakrishnan stated that the party is fully prepared for the polls, while Congress president Sunny Joseph expressed confidence in his party’s prospects.
With IANS inputs