Gram panchayats account for nearly 1.01 crore voters, followed by 15.5 lakh in municipalities and 15.7 lakh in corporations.
Published Dec 09, 2025 | 9:12 AM ⚊ Updated Dec 09, 2025 | 2:18 PM
A scene from a polling booth setup at NSS Neeramankara Thiruvananthapuram.
Synopsis: The first phase of the Kerala local body elections 2025 began on 9 December, across seven districts. Voting will continue till 6 pm. A total of 1,32,83,789 voters are eligible to cast their votes in 11,168 wards across 595 local bodies.
The first phase of the Kerala local body elections 2025 began at 7 am on Tuesday, 9 December, across seven districts — Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki and Ernakulam. Voting will continue till 6 pm.
By noon, Thiruvananthapuram recorded 36.97 percent voter turnout, while Kollam saw 40.66 percent. Pathanamthitta registered 39.37 percent, Alappuzha 42.25 percent, Kottayam 40.31 percent, Idukki 38.43 percent and Ernakulam 42.19 percent turnout.
A total of 1,32,83,789 voters are eligible to cast their votes in 11,168 wards across 595 local bodies.
These include 4,71 grama panchayats, 75 block panchayats, seven district panchayats, 39 municipalities and three corporations in the participating districts.
Voting will be held in 11,168 wards (Grama Panchayat Wards – 8310, Block Panchayat Wards – 1090, District Panchayat Wards – 164, Municipality Wards – 1371, Corporation Wards – 233)
Women outnumber men in the voter list, with 70,32,444 women, 62,51,219 men and 126 transgender voters.
The rolls also include 456 non-resident voters.
Gram panchayats account for nearly 1.01 crore voters, followed by 15.5 lakh in municipalities and 15.7 lakh in corporations.
A total of 36,630 candidates are in the fray — 17,056 men, 19,573 women and one transgender candidate. The highest number of contestants is in grama panchayats (27,141), followed by municipalities (4,480), block panchayats (3,366), corporations (1,049) and district panchayats (594).
For this phase, 15,432 polling stations have been set up, of which 480 booths have been marked as vulnerable. A total of 15,432 control units and 40,261 ballot units are ready for polling, along with adequate reserves.
State Election Commissioner (SEC) A Shahjahan urged voters to strictly follow voting procedures. Voters in municipalities and corporations need to cast only one vote, while those in three-tier panchayats must cast three votes — for the grama, block and district panchayats.
The ballot units are colour-coded: White for grama panchayat, pink for block panchayat, and light blue for district panchayat.
A long beep confirms completion of voting.
Voters may skip levels by pressing the red END button at the final unit.
Meanwhile, BJP candidate and retired IPS officer R Sreelekha came under Election Commission scrutiny after sharing a pre-poll survey on social media on polling day. The post, which claimed an advantage for the NDA in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation election, was later deleted.
The Commission has ordered action and informed the cyber police, as publishing such surveys during voting is prohibited.
Voters must carry an approved ID, including the Election Commission’s voter card (EPIC), voter slip, passport, driving licence, Aadhaar, PAN card or bank passbook with a photo issued within six months.
Shahjahan directed political parties and polling staff to ensure peaceful and transparent voting. Party workers must wear badges and ID cards, and slips distributed to voters should be on plain white paper without symbols. Parties are prohibited from providing vehicles to voters.
Campaigning is banned within 200 metres of polling stations in panchayats and 100 metres in municipalities. Masks and clothing displaying party symbols are also restricted in this zone.
Mobile phones are barred inside polling stations except for authorised officials. Camps of candidates must adhere to the green code and avoid crowding to prevent conflict.
The Commission warned of strict action against multiple voting and impersonation, both punishable with up to one year in jail and fines under Section 174 of BNS.
Polling ends at 6 pm, but all voters who are in the queue by closing time will be allowed to vote. The presiding officer will issue slips to mark the last voter in the queue.
The Commission also reiterated that NOTA and VVPAT are not available in local body elections.
In a tragic turn of events, Congress candidate CS Babu (59), who was contesting from the 10th ward ( Onakoor) of Pampakuda Grama Panchayat in the Ernakulam district, died in the early hours of Tuesday.
He reportedly collapsed at his home around 3 am, and though he was rushed to a nearby hospital, he was declared dead on arrival.
Following his death, officials announced that the election for the 10th ward of Pampakuda Grama Panchayat has been postponed. However, polling for the Block Panchayat and District Panchayat in the area will continue as scheduled.
In Thiruvananthapuram Corporation’s Vizhinjam ward, the election got postponed after Independent candidate Justice Francis (60), who was contesting from the ward, died after being seriously injured in an accident on Saturday night.
Francis was returning home after a day of election campaigning when he was hit by an auto-rickshaw on the Nyaravila–Karayativila road. According to relatives, the vehicle allegedly stopped abruptly before the crash.
He suffered severe head and neck injuries and was admitted to a private hospital in the city, where he remained on a ventilator. Despite efforts, he succumbed to his injuries on Monday.
Family members have alleged foul play in the incident and demanded a detailed investigation into the circumstances of the crash.
Meanwhile, senior political leaders made strong claims on polling day. UDF candidate KS Sabarinathan expressed confidence of a victory for his party in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation.
Leader of the Opposition in Kerala Assembly VD Satheesan said the UDF was poised for a historic comeback in the local self-government elections, attributing the expected gains to a strong anti-incumbency wave and alleging that controversies, including the Sabarimala gold smuggling issue, had dented the ruling LDF’s prospects. He made the remarks after casting his vote.
On the other hand, BJP leader and Thrissur MP Suresh Gopi struck an optimistic note, stating that the BJP would come to power in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation.
Gopi, accompanied by his family, arrived early morning at the Sasthamangalam Government UP School, which serves as a polling station, and cast his vote as part of the early voter queue, reflecting steady voter turnout during the initial hours of polling.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil with inputs from Dileep V Kumar and Sreelakshmi Soman.)
