Lots were drawn to determine the gram panchayat wards that are to be reserved for women, SC, ST, and OBC candidates.
Published Oct 18, 2025 | 12:32 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 18, 2025 | 12:32 PM
Ernakulam District Collector G. Priyanka conducting the lottery to determine ward reservations.
Synopsis: The draws for reserving wards in gram panchayats began on 13 October and continued till 16 October. Drawing of lots for block panchayat wards is set for 18 October, while district panchayat reservations will be finalised on 21 October.
Suspense and anticipation were high at the planning hall of Ernakulam Collectorate on Thursday, 16 October. Gram panchayat-level leaders from every political party have gathered at the hall, all wearing a grim look.
For many of those gathered, the proceedings at the hall could alter their political career, albeit briefly. As time ticked on, lots were drawn to determine the wards reserved for women, Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), or Other Backward Classes (OBCs) candidates.
It was like a roll of dice for many: inevitable, and unpredictable pre-election ritual — the drawing of lots for ward reservations.
Conducted by the State Election Commission, the process determines the political landscape before the first campaign poster even goes up. A single draw can alter equations that parties have spent months building.
As per the schedule announced by State Election Commissioner A Shajahan, the draws for gram panchayats began on 13 October and continued till 16 October. Drawing of lots for block panchayat wards is set for 18 October, while district panchayat reservations will be finalised on 21 October.
Municipal and corporation ward lotteries are being conducted by the respective Joint Directors of Local Self-Government. All municipalities held the drawing of lots on Thursday.
Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam corporations will hold theirs on Friday, 17 October in the capital city, followed by Kochi and Thrissur on 18 October, and finally Kannur and Kozhikode on 21 October in Kozhikode.
The Election Commission has asked district collectors to ensure a smooth conduct and transparency in the process. Shajahan has directed officials to complete all preparatory work, from polling station reorganisation to voter list updates, well before the election schedule is announced. A revised voter list will also be published before polling.
Reservation and deputy reservation officers are already in place, with details available on the Commission’s website (www.sec.kerala.gov.in). They received district-level training from 7 to 10 October, after a series of earlier sessions for local body secretaries and master trainers in September.
To ensure administrative stability, the Commission has asked the chief secretary to freeze transfers of government staff from 3 October.
It has also directed all election activities to comply with the Green Protocol, using the services of Kudumbashree, Haritha Karma Sena, and Clean Kerala Company to maintain eco-friendly standards.
The online review meeting, chaired by the Commissioner, was attended by all district collectors, State Election Commission Secretary BS Prakash, and other senior officials. It set the stage for one of Kerala’s most unique democratic exercises, where chance meets politics and fate redraws the local political map.
The local body elections, often seen as the semi-finals before the Assembly elections, are gearing up with preparations for ward reservation across Kerala’s 941 grama panchayats. In these panchayats, 8,852 wards have been earmarked for women, including seats reserved for SC/ST women.
After the latest ward delimitation, if more than half of an old ward’s population becomes part of a new ward, that new ward will automatically take on the same reservation status as the old one.
Before starting the official reservation process, authorities will compile detailed data, such as the names and numbers of wards after delimitation, wards that have to be reserved for each category, the reservation status of each ward in 2015 and 2020, and the number of wards that have had continuous reservation in both years.
In 2025, the rotation rule will be followed to ensure fairness.
This means that if a ward was already reserved for the same group — say women or SC/ST — in either 2015 or 2020, it will first be excluded from the new list.
Then, for instance, when selecting wards reserved for women, officials will initially leave out those reserved in both 2015 and 2020, as well as those reserved in 2020. If the required number of women-reserved wards isn’t reached, they will include wards reserved in 2020 but not in 2015. And if more wards are still needed, wards that had continuous reservation in both 2015 and 2020 will be considered last.
This multi-step process aims to avoid repetition, ensure balanced representation, and maintain the rotation principle so that every category gets a fair opportunity over time.
Jose Pallikkunnel, a Kerala Congress (Mani) councillor from the Kottayam Municipality, expressed satisfaction over the outcome of the ward reservation process.
”The reservation results have worked completely in our favour. We managed to retain our strongholds, though there was some concern about losing a few wards. Luckily, things turned out well this time,” he told South First.
He said the Ward 3 in Kottayam Municipality remains a general ward, while Wards 29 and 30 are also expected to benefit his party. However, Ward 27, reserved for SC candidates, poses a small challenge.
”Since it’s an SC-general ward, general male candidates cannot contest there. So we’re looking for a suitable candidate. The CPI(M) has a strong SC base in that ward, so it might perform well,” Pallikkunnel added.
He also mentioned that the candidate selection process has already begun, and this time, more women are likely to contest even in general wards.
”Women’s participation in local governance has improved tremendously. Earlier, it was hard to find candidates even for women-reserved wards. Now, many women openly seek opportunities,” he noted.
From Pathanamthitta, Girija S, a local politician, shared a similar view. ”The ward reservation has empowered women and backward communities to step forward. We can see a visible change in panchayats, and hopefully, it will reflect in Assembly and Lok Sabha elections too,” she told South First.
Girija added that the system has shattered old monopolies. ”Earlier, some wards in Kozhencherry were controlled by a few leaders and their allies. After the reservation system, no one can hold such dominance. Each party now gets a fair chance to contest. At the panchayat level, everyone is focused on the much-awaited local body elections,” she said.
According to Nandagopan S, a political researcher from Kochi, the ward reservation lottery plays a crucial role in ensuring equitable representation. It guarantees seats for women, SCs, and STs in all local bodies, based on their population.
This system helps correct historical inequalities and ensures that leadership opportunities are distributed across communities. Over half of the seats reserved for SC and ST candidates are also set aside for women from within those groups, ensuring greater inclusivity and intersectional representation.
Nandagopan explained that the rotation of reserved seats — including posts of presidents and chairpersons — ensures that various social groups get a chance to lead over time. For instance, in the 2025 local body elections, chairperson posts in certain municipalities and corporations are reserved for women.
The lottery-based reservation also prevents the same wards from being permanently reserved for one category, reducing the risk of political concentration or local power monopolies. It allows candidates from marginalised sections to contest from diverse areas rather than being confined to underdeveloped or economically weaker wards.
However, he also pointed out some drawbacks.
”While the system aims to promote equality, it can sometimes unintentionally reinforce caste boundaries. Moreover, the benefits often reach the more privileged sections within the reserved groups, while the most disadvantaged may still be left behind,” he told South First.
To prevent stagnation, wards reserved for SC/ST women in the previous two elections are exempted from being reserved again for the same category in the current cycle. This ensures that new wards are brought under reservation each term, helping fresh leadership emerge across communities.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
