Overview
- Counting started at 8 a.m. across 244 centres with postal ballots taken up first and EVM seals verified in candidates’ presence, per SEC procedure.
- Initial official trends show the LDF ahead in more grama and block panchayats, while the UDF leads in many municipalities and several corporations, with the NDA notching a few early leads including in one corporation.
- Turnout stood at 73.69% statewide, the highest since Kerala’s first civic polls in 1995, according to the State Election Commission.
- The exercise covers 23,573 wards in 1,199 local bodies, and full results are expected by afternoon with live updates on the SEC’s trend portals.
- Heavy police deployment is in place for counting day, and officials reported minor access issues for some agents at a few centres that were being resolved; oath-taking is slated for December 21.