Kerala Native Physique Elections: First Half Voting Underway in Seven Districts

Polling for the first part of the native physique elections in Kerala opened on Tuesday (December 9, 2025), signalling the start of the first principal electoral check out for the three opposing political alliances ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.

The Congress-led United Democratic Entrance (UDF) and the Bharatiya Janata Celebration (BJP)-led Nationwide Democratic Alliance (NDA) have solid the elections as a litmus check out of 9 years of Left Democratic Entrance (LDF) rule.

By 12 pm, your complete polling share all through the State stood at 32%.

For the LDF, the polls are a pointer as as to if anti-incumbency, amongst completely different components, will slender its path to victory for a third consecutive time interval in 2026.

From 7 a.m., a mild stream of voters carrying voter id taking part in playing cards and election slips made a beeline for polling stations spanning Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Idukki, Alappuzha and Ernakulam districts.

In play throughout the first part of polling are three Municipal Corporations, 39 municipalities, seven district panchayats, 75 block panchayats, and 471 grama panchayats.

After casting his vote, Chief of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan knowledgeable reporters in his constituency at Paravoor in Ernakulam district that the UDF would make a determined comeback after its setback throughout the 2020 native physique polls.

He talked about the voting patterns had been completely completely different for native physique, Assembly and Lok Sabha polls. Nevertheless, Mr Satheesan well-known the native physique polls had been an approximate indicator exhibiting the general path throughout which the political winds had been blowing ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls.

Mr Satheesan talked about anti-incumbency catalysed by the Sabarimala gold theft scandal would propel the UDF to vitality in Corporations, Municipalities and District Panchayats. He talked about the UDF’s unity, the scarcity of any tangible rebel threats, and boots-on-the-ground campaigning would tilt the probabilities throughout the Opposition’s favour.

Chatting with reporters after casting his vote in Thiruvananthapuram, Union Minister and BJP chief Suresh Gopi expressed confidence that the NDA would come to vitality throughout the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Firm.

He moreover acknowledged that Kerala was a potential Olympic venue throughout the coming a few years, and the BJP advertising marketing campaign had moreover highlighted the poor sports activities actions infrastructure, along with dilapidated stadiums, throughout the capital metropolis. One different BJP chief, S Suresh, put the potential NDA tally throughout the Thiruvananthapuram Firm council at “not decrease than 50”.

BJP chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar dodged political questions and well-known that the voter turnout throughout the early hours was heartening.