Kerala Local Body Polls: Vote Counting Begins, Results to Shape 2026 Assembly Race

Counting of votes for the Kerala local body elections began at 8 am on Saturday, December 13, at 244 counting centres across the state’s 14 districts. The results are expected to provide key political signals ahead of the Kerala Assembly elections due by April 2026.

All three major political fronts—the ruling CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF), the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), and the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA)—have expressed confidence of strong performances in the polls.

Voting was held in two phases. The first phase covered seven districts—Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Idukki, Kottayam and Ernakulam—on Tuesday, December 9. The remaining seven districts voted in the second phase on Thursday, December 11.

Barring 14 wards where candidates—all from the ruling LDF—were elected unopposed, elections were conducted for 17,337 wards in 941 gram panchayats, 2,267 wards in 152 block panchayats, 346 wards in 14 district panchayats, 3,205 wards in 86 municipalities and 421 wards in six municipal corporations.

Among the keenly watched contests are the Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Kochi corporations, all currently ruled by the LDF.

The Thiruvananthapuram corporation, in particular, witnessed a high-stakes triangular fight, with the Congress projecting former MLA K.S. Sabarinathan and the BJP fielding former DGP R. Sreelekha as its prospective mayoral faces.

Campaigns across the state centred on a range of contemporary issues, including the alleged pilferage of gold at the Sabarimala temple, sexual assault allegations against expelled Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil, rising prices and inflation, and delays in National Highway expansion projects.

The oath-taking ceremony for newly elected representatives is scheduled for December 21.