Kerala local body election: Phase 1 voting underway in 11,168 wards amid tight security
Kerala local body election 2025:The polls are being conducted in 1,199 of the 1,200 local bodies in phase 1, with Mattannur Municipality excluded as its council’s term continues until 2027.
Amid tight security, the first phase of the Kerala local body polls began on Tuesday, while the second phase will be held on December 11. The counting of votes will be held on December 13. Polling in the first phase is being held in 11,168 wards. This time, a total of 36,630 candidates are in the fray for the first phase of the Kerala local body polls and the lost includes 17,056 men, 19,573 women and one transgender candidate. Moreover, the phase includes 27,141 candidates for gram panchayats, 3,366 for block panchayats, 594 for district panchayats, 4,480 for municipal wards and 1,049 for corporation wards.
Kerala local body polls 2025: check key dates
Phase 1 on December 9, 2025 (Tuesday): Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam
Phase 2 on December 11, 2025 (Thursday): Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur, Kasaragod
(Polling time: 7.00 am to 6.00 pm)
Counting of votes: December 13, 2025 (Saturday) from 8.00 am
Kerala local body polls: Check ward breakdown
- 17,337 wards in 941 grama panchayats
- 2,267 wards in 152 block panchayats
- 346 wards in 14 district panchayats
- 3,205 wards in 86 municipalities
- 421 wards in 6 corporations
Kerala local body polls: Check voter details and polling stations
The final voter list, as published on October 25, includes 2,84,30,761 voters — 1,34,12,470 men, 1,50,18,010 women, and 281 transgender persons.
There will be 33,746 polling stations across the state for the local body polls— 28,127 for panchayat wards, 3,604 for municipalities, and 2,015 for corporations.
Kerala local body polls: What happened in 2020
In the 2020 Kerala local body polls, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) clinched a decisive victory, taking control of a majority of local bodies across the state.
Voter turnout: 76.2% (down 1.5% from 2015)
LDF: 40.2% vote share (up 2.8%) — won 514 grama panchayats, 108 block panchayats, 11 district panchayats, 35 municipalities, and 5 corporations.
UDF: 37.9% vote share (down 0.7%) — secured 321 grama panchayats, 38 block panchayats, 1 district panchayat, 23 municipalities, and 1 corporation.
NDA: 15% vote share (up 1.7%) — won 19 grama panchayats and had limited presence elsewhere.