Kerala local body polls: BJP marching to historic win in Thiruvananthapuram, Cong's UDF leads overall vs ruling LDF
Local bodies in seven districts of the state, including Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam, voted on December 9, and the other seven on December 11
The BJP may finally be able to make a mark in Kerala's electoral field, going by trends in counting of votes for the local body elections on Saturday, December 13.
BJP set to win Thiruvananthapuram
- In the fight for the municipal corporation of Thiruvananthapuram, the BJP looks set to end the 45-year rule of the CPI(M) (or its alliance LDF), which currently rules the state.
- The Centre's ruling party BJP is currently leading on 45 of the 101 wards in state capital Thiruvananthapuram, much ahead of the LDF, while the state's Congress-led main Opposition UDF stood third, as of 12 pm. The majority mark is 51.
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- BJP leader R Sreelekha, a former director general of police, won the Sasthamangalam ward in Thiruvananthapuram. If the BJP wins the civic body, she is likely to the mayor. She holds the distinction of being the first woman in the Indian Police Service (IPS) from the Kerala cadre.
Why Thiruvananthapuram is key for BJP, but Thrissur may disappoint
The BJP has been aiming to win power in the state capital's urban body for the past 10 years, while it struggles to make an overall impact in term of assembly seats, ahead of the April 2026 state election.
The Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat is held by the Congress's Shashi Tharoor, whose equation with his party has been complicated lately as he purportedly moves closer to the Centre's ruling BJP with frequent praises for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
However, the BJP is staring at a setback of sorts in Thrissur. Though the party has never won power in the corporation there, it saw leads in 34 wards when BJP candidate Suresh Gopi won the Lok Sabha seat in 2024 and became a minister.
Thrissur's vote-count trends at 11 am showed the BJP leading only in eight wards, with Congress-led UDF set to capture this corporation.
Congress-led UDF ahead of ruling CPI(M)-led LDF overall
Across the state, the ruling LDF looks set for upsets. Congress-led UDF is leading in four of the state's six municipal corporations: Kochi, Thrissur, Kannur, Kollam. The UDF won only Kannur last time.
With the BJP-led NDA leading in Thiruvananthapuram, that leaves the LDF of CM Pinarayi Vijayan leading in only one corporation: Kozhikode.
In Kochi, the UDF was leading in 44 out of 76 wards, thus crossing the halfway mark in early trends. This would be a big personal victory for Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan, as he had closely managed the Congress strategy. LDF looks set to be the main opposition in this corporation.
Of the 86 other municipalities, in urban centres smaller than those with corporations, early trends did not come for all, but the UDF was leading here too, in 55 of the municipalities. The LDF stood at 28, and NDA was leading in two, as of 12 pm.
Kerala local body polls: Key contests and numbers
The counting began at 8 am on Saturday, in 244 centres spread across the state's 14 districts. The results are expected to influence the Kerala assembly election next year.
All three major fronts — the state's ruling CPI(M)-led LDF, main opposition Congress-led UDF, and the BJP-led NDA — expressed optimism about performing well in the local body polls.
Local bodies in seven districts of the state — Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Idukki, Kottayam and Ernakulam -- went to the polls on Tuesday, December 9, while the second phase saw the remaining seven districts vote on Thursday, December 11.
Barring 14 wards where candidates (all from the ruling LDF) won uncontested, elections were held 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 corporations across both phases.
Among the hotly-contested local bodies are the Thiruvananthapuram corporation, the Kollam corporation and Kochi, all of which are currently governed by the LDF.
The Thiruvananthapuram corporation, in particular, has seen a fierce triangular contest with parties like the Congress highlighting former MLA KS Sabarinathan, and the BJP putting up ex-DGP R Sreelekha as its potential mayoral choice.
In the polls, contemporary issues like the pilferage of gold at the Sabarimala temple, the serious sexual assault allegations against expelled Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil, inflation and price rise, and the slow pace of National Highway expansion works, were raised by all major fronts.
The oath-taking of elected members will be held on December 21.
