Kerala, Dec 09 : Polling for the first phase of the Kerala Local Body Elections 2025 began at 7 am on Tuesday across seven districts Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki and Ernakulam. The state is voting in two phases this year, covering a total of 23,576 wards.
Under the two-phase schedule, the second round of polling will be held on December 11, while counting of votes is scheduled for December 13. In the first phase, elections are being conducted in 11,168 wards across 595 local bodies. This includes 8,310 wards in 471 grama panchayats, 1,090 wards in 75 block panchayats, 164 wards in seven district panchayats, 1,371 wards in 39 municipalities, and 233 wards in the three Corporations of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Kochi.
Union Minister Suresh Gopi cast his vote in Thiruvananthapuram and expressed confidence about the outcome. “The people will let us have the corporation to govern to their liking and work up their dreams for the city… If all the promises made have gone in vain, there is now a focus on my party, and I believe we will have it this time to the benefit of the people of Kerala,” he said.
Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly and Congress leader VD Satheesan also exercised his franchise at a polling booth in Kochi.
Ahead of polling, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor urged voters to participate in the local body elections, calling on them to support UDF candidates for “meaningful change” in grassroots governance. In a post on X, Tharoor said he was even sacrificing his Parliament attendance to cast his vote. “We will be choosing those whose work affects the essentials of daily life — roads, water, sanitation, electricity and more,” he added.
As the first phase progresses, all eyes remain on voter turnout and the evolving political dynamics in the Kerala Local Body Elections 2025.