In Thiruvananthapuram, BJP takes lead in 22 wards, looks set to make Kerala mark
The voting for Kerala's 1,199 local bodies was held in two phases and the counting for the same began at 8 am on Saturday.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has taken an early lead in 22 wards in Thiruvananthapuram Corporation as compared to state's ruling Left Democratic Front, which is leading in 16 wards, and the Congress-led United Democratic Front, which is leading in 11 wards. The majority mark to win the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation with 101 wards is 51.
This trend marks significant push for the BJP, which has been aiming to win power in Kerala capital's urban body for the past 10 years.
Track live updates | Kerala local body polls results
The leads come in as some counting centres in Thiruvananthapuram, along with Palakkad and Vadakara, reported some issues over allowing entry to booth agents and candidates, reported news agency PTI.
The voting for Kerala's 1,199 local bodies was held in two phases and the counting for the same began at 8 am on Saturday. The postal ballots were counted at the beginning, followed by EVM votes. The results will likely be out by the end of the day.
The counting is being carried out in 244 centres and 14 district collectorates, the PTI report said.
The results of Kerala's local body polls are being monitored closely as they will set the stage for the upcoming state assembly polls in Kerala in 2026.
The elected panchayat members and municipal councillors in Kerala will take oath on December 21 at 10 am and corporation councillors at 11 am on the same day.
What early trends indicate across Kerala
According to the data of the state election commission, the ruling LDF was leading in more gram and block panchayats as compared to the UDF, however, the opposition is ahead in municipalities and corporations, said the PTI report.
In the 86 municipalities, the UDF is leading in 48, followed by the LDF in 30, NDA in just one and there is a tie in five muncipalities as of now. In corporations, the UDF is leading in four including Kochi, Thrissur, Kannur, and Kollam, followed by LDF and NDA which are leading in one corporation each.
