Kerala: By-election to 19 local body wards begins in nine districts

The by-election to 19 local body wards in nine districts of Kerala began at 7 am on Tuesday. In addition to 15 grama panchayat wards, the by-election is taking place in two corporation wards and two municipal council wards.

Thiruvananthapuram: The by-election to 19 local body wards in nine districts began at 7 am on Tuesday. In addition to 15 grama panchayat wards, the by-election is taking place in two corporation wards and two municipal council wards.

The polling will be held from 7 am to 6 pm and the counting of votes will be held in the respective centres on Wednesday at 10 am. The elections are ongoing in the districts of Thiruvananthapuram, Kannur, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Ernakulam, Palakkad, Kozhikode and Kannur.

In the 19 local body wards, a total of 60 candidates, including 29 women, are contesting. 33,900 people are on the voters' list, including 16,009 men and 17,891 women, according to the voters' list issued on May 2. 

The state has 38 polling places set up for the by-election, according to State Election Commissioner A Shajahan. Three booths have been put up in the municipal council wards, while the wards in the Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur corporations will have five and three booths, respectively. There will be voting in 27 booths designated for each of the 15 grama panchayats.

Videography will be done in private booths to provide absolute security. During voting and counting, there will be extra police security.