Kerala assembly election 2021 to be held on April 6, counting on May 2 | Here's complete schedule

The LDF and the United Democratic Front (UDF) led by Congress has held power in the state alternately over the last four decades.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday announced the dates for the assembly elections in Kerala. These elections will be held in a single phase on April 6, 2021, and the counting of votes will take place on May 2, 2021, announced Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora. The top election official said that March 19, 2021, will be the last date for filing nominations for the Kerala polls. The Kerala assembly’s term is slated to end in June this year.

The elections will be held amid the coronavirus pandemic in the country.(PTI)

Here's the complete schedule for Kerala assembly polls:

Issue of notification: March 12, 2021

Last date of notification: March 19, 2021

Scrutiny of nomination: March 20, 2021

Last date of withdrawal of candidature: March 22, 2021

Date of poll: April 6, 2021

Counting of votes: May 2, 2021

The elections will be held amid the coronavirus pandemic in the country. It is to be noted that after a steady decline in the daily infection cases Kerala is among the seven states witnessing a resurgence of the virus.

Before this, India has conducted the Bihar assembly elections, Greater Hyderabad Municipal elections, Karnataka gram panchayat elections and several by-polls in Madhya Pradesh, elections for municipal corporations and other states successfully amid the pandemic.

Kerala is currently ruled by the Left Democratic Front (LDF), which is led by the Communist Party of India(Marxist) or CPI(M). Apart from the CPI-M, the alliance includes the Communist Party of India (CPI), Kerala Congress (M), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Janata Dal (Secular), Indian National League and various other regional parties.

The LDF and the United Democratic Front (UDF) led by Congress has held power in the state alternately over the last four decades. In the 2016 Kerala assembly election, the LDF won after gaining a majority of 91 out of 140 seats.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is stretching that extra mile as it is hoping to raise its vote share and form a government this year in the southern state. On Thursday evening, former Delhi Metro chief E Sreedharan joined the BJP in Malappuram. Sreedharan wields a lot of respect and standing in Kerala and his entry could boost the BJP in the state where the party remains far behind the Congress and the Left Front.