THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The decisive local body election, that is considered as the semifinal to the crucial assembly elections next year, will be held in two phases in the state on December 9 and 11. The results of the poll to be declared on December 13, will serve as an early pointer to the possible outcome of the assembly election to be held barely six months later.
In the 2020 elections, the CPM-led LDF had gained an upper hand over the Congress-led UDF. For the ruling LDF, a repeat of its performance this year will help buttress its claim that ‘Pinarayi Vijayan government 3.0’ is in the offing. For the UDF that has been out of power in the state for nearly a decade, a stellar performance in the local body poll would give it the much-needed strength to upset the LDF applecart in the state.
For the BJP-led NDA that has been slowly but steadily gaining ground in the state’s local bodies, 2025 would be an acid test of its influence at the grassroots level. The local body election would also help the saffron alliance reinvigorate its party machinery and cadres well in time before the assembly polls.
While districts such as Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Idukki, Alappuzha and Ernakulam will go to polls on December 9, polling will be held in Thrissur, Malappuram, Wayanad, Palakkad, Kannur, Kasaragod, and Kozhikode on December 11.
State Election Commissioner A Shajahan who announced the schedule of the elections here on Monday said the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) for election has come into force across the state. Candidates can file nominations up to November 21. The scrutiny of nomination papers will be held on November 22. The last date for withdrawal of nominations is November 24.
Elections will be held in 1,199 of the 1,200 local bodies across the state. Following the delimitation exercise, the number of wards in the 1,200 local bodies had increased to 23,612. However, 36 wards of the Mattannur municipality in Kannur, have been excluded from the 2025 poll, bringing down the total number of wards facing polls to 23,576. Elections are due in Mattannur municipality only in September 2027.
“Elections will be held to 17,337 wards in the grama panchayats, 2,267 wards in the block panchayats, 346 district panchayat wards, 3,205 municipality wards and 421 corporation wards,” Shajahan said. A total of 33,746 polling stations will be set up, of which 28,127 will be located in the panchayats, 2,015 in corporations and 3,604 in municipalities. While the maximum number of voters per polling station has been fixed at 1,200 in the panchayats, it will be 1,500 in the municipalities and corporations.
The official said that first-level checks have been completed on the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) that include 1.37 lakh ballot units and 50,693 control units. The state has a little over 2.84 crore voters. The poll panel had given a two-day window on November 4 and 5 for enrolment of names in the list. The supplementary voters’ list will be published on November 14, Shajahan said. In 2020, the LSG polls in Kerala were held in three phases amid Covid.