As campaigning ends for the first phase of polling on Sunday, Kerala will step into the mandatory 48-hour silence period with an alert election machinery and an electorate more politically attuned than ever.
Published Dec 08, 2025 | 9:00 AM ⚊ Updated Dec 08, 2025 | 9:24 AM
The main characters have been fixed, and the LSG polls in Kerala seem to be a thriller.
Synopsis: With an unprecedented rise in women and young candidates, alongside tighter digital oversight, this year’s local body elections are widely seen as a precursor to the political mood ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls.
Kerala is gearing up for the first phase of its high-stakes local body elections, with open campaigning in seven districts set to end at 6 pm on Sunday, 7 December.
The run-up to polling day on 9 December has been marked by intense street-level mobilisation, energetic last-minute pitches, and heightened monitoring by election authorities to ensure peaceful and lawful campaigning across the state.
State Election Commissioner A Shahjahan has directed political parties and candidates to ensure that the final hours of campaigning — including ‘kottikalasham‘ (grand finale of the open poll campaigning) and road events typical to Kerala’s poll season — remain peaceful.
The Commissioner has warned that concluding ceremonies should not obstruct public movement and that law and order must not be compromised as political activity peaks ahead of the silence period mandated by law.
As per Section 126(1) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, campaigning must end 48 hours before the close of polling, a provision applicable to local body elections as well.
The first phase covers Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki and Ernakulam districts.
The remaining districts (Thrissur, Malappuram, Wayanad, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod) will vote in the second phase on 11 December. Elections will be held across 23,576 wards in 1,199 local bodies, excluding Mattanur Municipality.
Kerala’s 2025 local body elections have marked a significant shift in candidate demographics, with a record number of women entering the electoral arena and a notable rise in the participation of young aspirants.
This year, a total of 75,644 candidates are contesting across the state—an increase of 745 from the 74,899 candidates in 2020—indicating a renewed enthusiasm for grassroots democracy.
Of the total candidates, 39,609 are women, 36,034 are men, and one transgender candidate, who is contesting from the Pothencode ward of the Thiruvananthapuram district panchayat.
The share of women has climbed to 52.36 percent, a sharp rise from 48.45 percent recorded in the 2020 local body polls.
This upward trend reflects the increasing political presence of women across Kerala’s three-tier panchayat system and urban local bodies.
District-wise, Kollam leads with 55.26 percent women candidates, followed by Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Thrissur, Ernakulam, Wayanad, Thiruvananthapuram, and Kozhikode—all posting female representation above 52 percent.
The enhanced reservation for women and evolving political mobilisation appear to have significantly reshaped the candidate profile.
At the various tiers of local governance, women dominate most levels except the district panchayats.
The Gram Panchayats have 29,262 women and 26,168 men, while the Block Panchayats show a near-equal contest with 3,583 women and 3,525 men.
However, at the District Panchayat level, men continue to maintain an edge: 672 male candidates, up from 594 in 2020, are contesting compared to 602 women, a decline from 685 in the previous cycle.
Urban local bodies also show a strong female presence, with women comprising 52.05 percent of Municipality candidates and 52.27 percent in Corporations.
In terms of overall candidate volume, Malappuram once again tops the chart, fielding 8,381 candidates, only slightly fewer than the 8,387 who contested in 2020.
Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, and Thiruvananthapuram remain districts with consistently high participation. On the other end, Wayanad continues to have the lowest number of candidates, though its figure has risen from 1,857 in 2020 to 1,968 this year.
Thiruvananthapuram Corporation’s Pettah ward has the highest number of candidates in the state at 11, followed by Vizhinjam with 10 candidates, and Kazhakoottam, Beemapally, Kannamoola (all in Thiruvananthapuram Corporation) and Thrikkanarvattom (in Kochi Corporation) with nine candidates each.
At the Gram Panchayat level, the College ward in Kuruvilangad (Kottayam) has nine candidates, the highest in this category.
The Kunnothuparambu Grama Panchayat in Kannur district has the highest number of candidates (102) at the local panchayat level, while Malapattam Grama Panchayat in Kannur has the fewest: 25 candidates.
In the Block Panchayat tier, Kunnamangalam in Kozhikode leads with 76 candidates, whereas Palluruthy in Ernakulam and Idukki Block Panchayat have just 36 candidates each.
Among District Panchayats, Malappuram once again dominates with 126 candidates, while Pathanamthitta has the lowest number at 54.
A unique aspect of this election is the number of wards where candidates were elected unopposed—16 in total.
These include five wards in Anthoor Municipality, six in Kannapuram Grama Panchayat, three in Malapattam Grama Panchayat (all in Kannur) and one each in Madikai and Mangalpadi Grama Panchayats in Kasaragod district.
The participation of young candidates has also shown an encouraging upward movement.
A total of 1,183 candidates below the age of 25 are testing their fortunes this time, constituting 1.56 percent of the total.
Among them, 917 are women, and 266 are men.
Notably, 149 candidates are just 21 years old, the minimum eligible age to contest in local body elections, of whom 130 are women, and 19 are men.
All district collectors have confirmed that polling preparations are complete.
In a meeting convened by the Election Commissioner, collectors reported that special arrangements have been made to prevent last-minute law and order issues during the campaign wind-up.
Polling material distribution centres have been readied, while facilities such as seating, drinking water and queue systems have been ensured at all polling stations.
Polling stations in hilly areas have been equipped with additional measures to ensure the safe movement of voters amid conflicts with wildlife.
Differently-abled voters will have dedicated facilities to ensure inclusive participation.
The Commission has also instructed that educational institutions serving as polling stations, distribution centres or reception centres should be granted holidays on the day before polling and on the counting day.
Strict enforcement of the dry day and enhanced vigilance in problematic polling stations have been mandated.
Election observers and expenditure observers have reviewed district-level preparedness.
In the first phase of polling on 9 December, polling will take place in 11,168 wards across 595 local bodies. This includes 8,310 wards in 471 gram panchayats, 1,090 wards in 75 block panchayats, 164 wards in seven district panchayats, 1,371 wards in 39 municipalities, and 233 wards in three corporations.
A total of 36,630 candidates are contesting in this phase.
The second phase on 11 December will cover 12,408 wards in 604 local bodies—9,027 in 470 gram panchayats, 1,177 in 77 block panchayats, 182 in seven district panchayats, 1,371 in 39 municipalities, and 188 in three corporations. This phase will see 39,013 candidates in the fray.
Across both phases, 75,643 candidates are contesting, including 36,034 men, 39,609 women, and one transgender candidate.
Sixteen candidates—14 in Kannur and two in Kasaragod—have already been elected unopposed.
Kerala’s electoral roll includes 2,86,24,558 voters, comprising 1,34,99,102 men, 1,51,25,169 women, 287 transgenders, and 3,749 non-resident voters. In the first phase, 1,32,83,789 voters are eligible, while 1,53,40,769 voters will vote in the second phase. Voting will be held from 7 am to 6 pm.
A mock poll will be conducted an hour earlier in the presence of candidates and agents.
A total of 33,711 polling stations have been arranged—15,432 for the first phase and 18,279 for the second—equipped with essential facilities, including ramps and special arrangements for the elderly and differently abled.
Around 1.8 lakh polling officials and 10,000 police personnel have been deployed. Webcasting has been arranged in 2,535 sensitive booths, with videography allowed where required.
Counting of votes will begin at 8 am on 13 December in the presence of candidates or their agents. A total of 244 vote-counting centres have been set up across Kerala.
Counting for the three-tier panchayats will be held at block panchayat centres, and at respective institution-level centres for municipalities and corporations. Polling materials will be distributed on the eve of polling and returned to the strongrooms after voting.
Each centre will have designated strongrooms, EVM commissioning centres, e-drop facilities, control rooms, data entry centres, and trend software deployment.
The SEC has also mandated strict adherence to the green code in waste disposal at polling, distribution and counting centres.
In a first-of-its-kind crackdown, the SEC has instructed the police cyber wing to intensify monitoring of social media activity, especially reels, voice clips, parody songs, animations and image cards circulated through WhatsApp groups.
The directive comes amid concerns over misinformation, personal targeting, and the misuse of emerging technologies. Any content that includes personal details such as caste or religion will be treated as a violation of the model code of conduct.
The Commission has warned of strict action against fake images, AI-generated deepfakes, manipulated voice messages and other unauthorised digital interventions.
Political parties have been asked to remove fake or misleading content from their official platforms within three hours of detection.
Fake accounts and illegal posts must be reported to respective platforms as per the IT Act, 2000, the Digital Media Ethics Code Rules, 2021, and the Indian Code of Conduct, 2023.
UDF’s manifesto
The three major political fronts in the state—the UDF, LDF and NDA—have unveiled sharply contrasting visions for the upcoming local body elections, each framing the polls as a defining moment for the state’s governance model.
The Congress-led UDF positions its manifesto as a corrective roadmap, accusing the LDF government of weakening decentralisation, curbing local body finances, and allowing corruption and administrative paralysis.
Its promises centre on reviving the Aashraya poverty eradication programme, modernising waste management with advanced technologies, creating a dedicated public health squad, tackling the stray dog crisis, expanding welfare support—especially for ASHAs and women—and introducing youth-centred budgeting and nightlife policies.
LDF’s manifesto
The ruling LDF, meanwhile, argues that it alone has safeguarded decentralisation since the People’s Planning era of 1996, countering UDF criticism by highlighting allocations of nearly ₹70,000 crore to local bodies and major achievements in housing, health, and welfare.
Emphasising secularism and resistance to central “discrimination,” the front vows to make Kerala poverty-free, resolve human–wildlife conflicts, expand public nutrition programmes, and generate large-scale women’s employment through Kudumbashree.
The BJP-led NDA is mounting its most aggressive local body push yet, relying on gains from the Lok Sabha polls, targeted urban expansion, and community outreach.
While still facing limits in many rural and minority areas, it seeks to emerge as a decisive third force, promising corruption-free governance enabled by AI, doorstep delivery of local body services, and ambitious urban development plans—including transforming Thiruvananthapuram into a top-three Indian city by 2030.
Together, the manifestos reflect competing narratives of welfare, decentralisation, and modernisation as the state heads into a crucial electoral contest.
Campaigning for the first phase of the polling ended on Sunday, and Kerala stepped into the mandatory 48-hour silence period with an alert election machinery and an electorate more politically attuned than ever.
With an unprecedented rise in women and young candidates, alongside tighter digital oversight, this year’s local body elections are widely seen as a precursor to the political mood ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls.
The context is significant.
In 2020, the LDF secured a sweeping mandate across district panchayats, block panchayats, gram panchayats, and municipal corporations — a victory that came despite the intense political heat generated by the gold smuggling and Life Mission controversies.
Senior officials close to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, including former principal secretary M Sivasankar and additional private secretary CM Raveendran, had come under scrutiny, yet the CPI(M) leadership banked on its governance record, a mix of welfare delivery and development initiatives, to overcome the allegations.
The verdict validated their confidence.
Vijayan had then remarked on the unusual nature of such a win for an incumbent government facing both anti-incumbency and local-level dissatisfaction.
As Kerala heads to the polls again, the question is whether history will repeat — or take a new turn.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
