Former DGP R Sreelekha, considered to be BJP's mayoral candidate is among winning candidates. She won from Sasthamangalam ward.
Published Dec 13, 2025 | 9:22 AM ⚊ Updated Dec 13, 2025 | 12:34 PM
Counting begins for Kerala local body polls. (Screengrab)
Synopsis: As Kerala waits for the verdict from its panchayats, municipalities, and corporations, Saturday’s counting will set the tone for the political landscape across the state’s grassroots governance structure for the next five years. As of noon, of the six corporations in the state UDF is leading in four, Kollam, Kannur, Thrissur and Kannur. LDF leading in Kozhikode, and BJP in Thiruvananthapuram.
Kerala braces for a decisive day as the counting of votes for the 2025 local body general elections begins on Saturday, 13 December, at 244 centres across the state.
As per the trends by noon, BJP is set to script history in Thiruvananthapuram Corporation. BJP is leading in 45 seats, while LDF and UDF are leading in 22 and 15 seats respectively. Former DGP R Sreelekha, considered to be BJP’s mayoral candidate is among winning candidates. She won from Sasthamangalam ward.
Meanwhile, UDF is leading in 392 grama panchayats, 8 district panchayats, 74 block panchayats and 54 municipalities. KPCC president Sunny Joseph claimed that the UDF’s landslide victory will reflect the anti-incumbency wave.
Of the six corporations in the state UDF is leading in four, Kollam, Kannur, Thrissur and Kannur. LDF leading in Kozhikode, and BJP in Thiruvananthapuram.
At Muttada ward in Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, UDF’s Vaishna Suresh secured the seat. Her candidature grabbed headlines after CPI(M) had complained to election officials that she had given a rental address for enrollment and her vote was in another ward.
After taking the legal remedy her name got included in the list, enabling her to contest. Muttada ward is LDF’s stronghold and a sitting seat.
Meanwhile, Feni Ninan, considered to be a close associate of Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil and UDF candidate in the eighth ward of the Adoor municipality lost to BJP.
His name got figured in the second rape case involving Rahul. Feni earlier alleged that the allegation against him is politically motivated.
Former Assistant Commissioner of Police T.K. Ratnakumar, who was the CPI(M) candidate from the Kottur ward in the Sreekandapuram municipality won. He led the investigation into the death of former Kannur Additional District Magistrate Naveen Babu.
On the other hand, Arjuna Award winner and 1982 Asian Games 400 m bronze medallist Padmini Thomas, who contested on the BJP ticket from the Palayam ward to the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation lost.
Compared to 2020, BJP led NDA made significant inroads in the local body landscape. Apart from Thiruvananthapuram, the national party also made is leading at several grama panchayats and block panchayats.
BJP also secured a seat in the Pallippuram panchayat by winning the Kadappuram ward in Munambam, where protests over the Waqf land issue are still ongoing. BJP candidate Kunjumon Augustine won the ward by a narrow margin of 28 votes.
Notably, this was the first time the BJP contested from the Kadappuram ward.
According to BJP Minority Morcha chief Philip Joseph, Pallippuram has traditionally been a UDF stronghold, with the Kadappuram ward remaining in UDF hands for decades. The seat was held by the UDF until this election.
UDF candidate Dani Koottaparambil and LDF candidate Binoy Kurishinkil were defeated in the contest.
Senior BJP leaders have conveyed their wishes to the local party leadership, viewing the victory as a significant political gain amid the ongoing Waqf land controversy. Party leaders said the win strengthens the BJP’s position in the region during a sensitive and politically charged period.
The counting commenced at 8 am, beginning with postal ballots at the returning officers’ tables, followed by votes registered in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). Postal ballots for the 14 district panchayats will also be tallied under the supervision of the respective District Collectors.
Before counting began, officials verified the seals and special tags on the control units in the presence of candidates or their counting agents. At each counting table, the EVMs were arranged ward-wise, with all polling stations within a ward being counted together.
Only the control units were brought out from the strong room for the process.
The grama panchayat results from each unit will be recorded first, followed by block panchayat and district panchayat tallies.
After each ward completes both postal ballot and EVM counts, the returning officer will declare the result. Real-time updates will be available on the TREND platform, where lead positions and results will appear booth-by-booth.
With the Model Code of Conduct in force until 18 December, the State Election Commission (SEC) has urged candidates and political parties to exercise restraint during celebrations.
Loudspeakers must not be used in ways that obstruct or disturb public traffic, and fireworks or firecrackers may only be used in accordance with existing law.
The SEC has stressed strict adherence to green protocol norms, noise control rules, and environmental regulations.
This year’s polls saw the highest voter turnout in the history of Kerala’s local body elections.
A total of 2,10,79,609 voters cast their votes across two phases—73,866 more than in the 2020 polls, when 2,10,05,743 turned out.
These numbers exclude postal ballots that will be counted on Saturday.
Kerala’s electoral roll also expanded substantially in 2025, with 2,86,07,658 voters listed, up from 2,76,56,910 in 2020.
The 2025 elections recorded a 73.69 percent turnout statewide. District-wise, Wayanad registered the highest polling at 78.29 percent, while Thiruvananthapuram remained the lowest at 67.47 percent.
In municipal corporations, turnout ranged from 58.29 percent in Thiruvananthapuram to 70.33 percent in Kannur.
Results will be declared for 23,576 wards spread across 1,199 local bodies, where 75,632 candidates contested—including a transgender candidate, underscoring the widening democratic participation at the grassroots.
With the tenure of the existing councils ending on 20 December, the newly elected members will assume office the very next day, after taking their oath and solemn declaration on 21 December.
As Kerala waits for the verdict from its panchayats, municipalities, and corporations, Saturday’s counting will set the tone for the political landscape across the state’s grassroots governance structure for the next five years.
(Edited by Sumavarsha, with inputs from Dileep V Kumar)
