E-Paper
Kerala local body polls: Counting at 244 centres tomorrow
Kerala local body polls for panchayats, municipalities and corporations were conducted in three phases, the first phase was conducted on December 8, the second phase was on December 10 and the final phase was conducted on December 14.
The counting of votes polled in the fiercely contested local body elections in Kerala, conducted four months before the assembly polls due in April-May, will be held at 244 counting centres across the state on Wednesday. Preparations have been completed for the smooth counting of votes in the local body elections, said state election commissioner (SEC) V Bhaskaran.
Counting would be held according to Covid-19 protocols with all counting centres disinfected and counting officers advised to wear gloves, masks and face shields. Counting agents and candidates who reach the centres should wear masks and use sanitizers.
Postal votes, including the special votes polled by Covid-19 patients, would be counted first. Counting of votes for the three-tier panchayats would be held at the block-level centres where the electronic voting machines (EVMs) have been kept in safe custody. Counting to municipalities and corporations would be held in the respective local bodies where the machines are kept.
A counting supervisor and two counting assistants will be there for each table in panchayats and there will be a counting supervisor and counting assistant for municipalities. Gathering of people outside the centres will not be allowed.
Of the 244 counting centres, 70 are in Wayanad, 28 in Ernakulam, 27 in Malappuram, 24 in Thrissur, 20 each in Kannur and Palakkad, 18 in Alappuzha, 17 in Kottayam, 16 each in Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam, 12 in Pathanamthitta, 10 in Idukki and 9 in Kasaragod.
Live update of the counting result would be available on the www.trend.kerala.gov.in. The website prepared by National Informatics Centre would provide detailed trends and results on a real-time basis.
Kerala local body polls for panchayats, municipalities and corporations were conducted in three phases, the first phase was conducted on December 8, the second phase was on December 10 and the final phase was conducted on December 14.
Kerala’s three political coalitions — CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF), Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) — are in the fray in these polls.
