Kerala Local Body Elections Phase Two Records Early Turnout Across Seven Districts

The second phase of Kerala’s crucial local body elections opened across seven districts on Thursday, drawing a steady early-morning turnout as voters lined up from 7 am. According to PTI, more than 8 per cent of the electorate had cast their ballots within the first two hours.

Polling is under way at 18,274 booths in Thrissur, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod, and will close at 6 pm. People from varied age groups and professions were seen at stations before sunrise, with senior political leaders also voting early.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan arrived with his family to cast his vote in Kannur. PTI reported that he told journalists afterwards that he was confident of a “historic win” for the LDF and maintained that the Sabarimala gold loss controversy would not weaken the Left front’s prospects. He argued that his government had taken “stringent action” on the matter and added that “if it were any other party in power, such steps would not have been taken”.

Responding to Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief Sunny Joseph’s remarks about an alleged conspiracy behind the second sexual assault complaint against MLA Rahul Mamkootathil, the Chief Minister suggested the presence of a “criminal gang of sexual perverts” within the Congress. He said such individuals intimidated victims to stop them from speaking out.

Meanwhile, leaders of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a key ally in the Congress-led UDF, such as Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal, P K Kunhalikutty and M K Muneer expressed confidence of a strong showing for the front in this round of polling. PTI reported that the KPCC chief argued that the Sabarimala gold episode would indeed influence voter sentiment against the LDF, saying the ruling front was “protecting those involved in the scam”.

The ongoing local body elections are widely viewed as an indicator ahead of next year’s assembly polls. In this phase, more than 1.53 crore voters will select representatives for 12,931 wards across 604 local bodies, including grama, block and district panchayats, as well as municipalities and corporations. A total of 38,994 candidates are contesting.

The first phase, held on 9 December in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki and Ernakulam—saw a turnout of around 70 per cent, PTI reported. Counting for both phases is scheduled for 13 December.

(With inputs from PTI)