Kerala Local Body Polls: Counting Begins

Vote counting for Kerala's local body elections began on Saturday morning across the state, following two phases of polling that engaged over 2.6 crore voters in selecting representatives for more than 23,000 wards. The process started at 8 a.m. in 244 designated centers and 14 district collectorates, with postal ballots tallied first before electronic voting machine results, covering 1,199 local bodies including grama panchayats, block panchayats, district panchayats, municipalities and corporations.

The elections unfolded in two phases on December 9 and 11, drawing strong participation with overall turnout exceeding 75 percent. In the second phase, which covered seven northern and central districts including Thrissur, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod, polling percentages reached 77.73 percent in Wayanad, 76.85 percent in Malappuram and 75.73 percent in Kannur by late evening, according to district election officials. The first phase in southern and central districts like Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Ernakulam recorded around 70 percent turnout. A total of 38,994 candidates contested for 23,576 wards, highlighting robust civic involvement amid...