Second Phase of Local Body Polls Ends in Kerala
Vote counting is set for December 13, starting at 8 am in all counting centers, with postal ballots counted first, followed by EVMs
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The second phase of local body elections in seven districts of Kerala wrapped up on Thursday. By 7:30 pm, the polling percentages stood at Kasaragod - 74.02%, Kannur - 75.73%, Wayanad - 77.73%, Kozhikode - 76.47%, Malappuram - 76.85%, Palakkad - 75.6%, and Thrissur - 71.88%.
The over all voter turnout was over 75.38 perecnt and the final polling percentage is likely to go up slightly when the final figures come out.
Vote counting is set for December 13, starting at 8 am in all counting centers, with postal ballots counted first, followed by EVMs.
The main political fronts in Kerala the CPM-led LDF, Congress-led UDF, and BJP-led NDA are pinning high hopes on these polls, seen as a semi-final ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is confident of securing a historic win, backed by his government’s welfare schemes and development projects. Opposition Leader V D Satheeshan said it would be a vote for change, as people are tired of nearly a decade of LDF rule in the state, and the outcome could mark the end of the Left’s tenure by 2026.
BJP state president Rajeev Chandrashekhar claims voters will reject both the LDF and UDF due to years of misrule. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has set a target of 25 percent votes for the NDA in the local body polls, with the BJP having secured nearly 20 percent in the last Lok Sabha elections.
In the 2020 local body elections, the CPM-led LDF won 514 gram panchayats out of 941, while the UDF secured 375 and the BJP 22. Ward-wise, the LDF claimed 7,500 wards, the UDF 5,893, and the BJP-NDA 1,182. In municipalities, the UDF had the upper hand, winning 45 out of 87, with the LDF taking 35 and the BJP just 2. In corporations, the BJP suffered a near wipeout, as the LDF won five of six and the Congress managed only one.
