The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), under Chief Minister P Vijayan's leadership, suffered a setback, after the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won 21 wards in the Thrippunithura Municipality where local body elections were held recently, according to the data available on the Kerala State Election Commission (SEC) website.
The LDF was slightly behind the NDA, winning 20 wards. The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), on the other hand, won 12 wards.
What happened in previous elections?
In the previous local body elections in Kerala in 2020, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) had won 23 wards. The BJP-led NDA's performance was also impressive, but the alliance won six wards less than that of the LDF. Congress had won seven wards, while the Kerala Congress bagged just one ward.
All about Kerala local body elections
The local body elections were held this year in Kerala in two phases - December 9 and December 11. According to the SEC, the coastal state recorded the highest ever turnout in local body elections this year at 73.69 per cent. The first phase and the second phase recorded a turnout of 70.91 per cent and 76.08 per cent, respectively.
Kerala SEC A Shahjahan has informed that oath-taking ceremony of the elected panchayat members and municipal councillors will take place at 10 am on December 21. Similarly, the swearing in ceremony for the elected corporation councillors will be held at 11 am on the same day, he informed.
He also informed that the elections were held in a peaceful manner, as he thanked the voters and the political parties. Only 1.37 per cent electronic voting machines (EVMs) were replaced due to some technical glitches, though, Shahjahan had said.
