Keralam polls: Long queues show desire for change, says K Muraleedharan

Senior Congress leader K Muraleedharan, after voting in Thiruvananthapuram, said long queues indicate a "desire for change" among voters. He, along with other UDF leaders, expressed confidence in winning over 100 seats in the Keralam Assembly polls.

Senior Congress leader and Vattiyoorkavu constituency candidate K Muraleedharan on Thursday said there is a clear "desire for change" among voters after casting his vote at Jawahar Nagar LP School in Thiruvananthapuram during the ongoing Assembly elections. Pointing to long queues at polling stations in his constituency, Muraledharan remarked, "There is a queue of people here which indicates that people want change. I have been voting at this booth since 1979, and this is the first time I have had to wait for 20-25 mins to cast my vote. We aim to win 100 seats."

Polling for the 140-member Keralam Assembly began at 7 am, with voters turning out in large numbers across the state. The election is witnessing a direct contest between the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), with the BJP-led NDA also in the fray.

UDF Leaders Express Confidence in Victory

Earlier, State Congress president Sunny Joseph cast his vote in Kannur and expressed confidence in a UDF victory. "UDF will win more than 100 seats... My appeal to the people is to exercise their franchise rightly to elect a government led by the UDF to negate the anti-policy of the present government," he said.

Congress MP Hibi Eden also voted in Kochi and predicted a landslide win for the alliance. "The people are waiting for a chance to vote against the Left government... UDF is going to come back to power with a huge majority," he said, adding that the BJP was unlikely to open its account in the state.

Voter and Polling Statistics

In Keralam, over 2.69 crore registered voters are eligible to cast their ballots, including 1.38 crore women and 1.31 crore men, along with 277 voters in the third gender category.

Nearly 4.24 lakh first-time voters aged 18-19 are participating, while over 2 lakh voters are aged above 85. To facilitate voting, authorities have set up 30,471 polling stations across the state.

Keralam Chief Electoral Officer Rathan U Kelkar stated that approximately 1.46 lakh trained polling personnel have been deployed to ensure the seamless conduct of the election.

Votes for the Assembly elections will be counted on May 4.

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