Counting of votes begins in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram, May 11 (UNI) Counting of votes for the Assembly elections to the 140 seats in Kerala began at 0800 hrs today.

The fight is mainly between the ruling Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Opposition Marxist-led Left Democratic Front (LDF).

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Leader of the Opposition and CPI(M) Politburo member V S Achuthanandan, LDF convener Paloli Mohammed Kutty, Democratic Indira Congress (Karunakaran) President K Muraleedharan, Indian Union Muslim League leader P K Kunhalikutty and former Union Minister and BJP leader O Rajagopal are the prominent candidates in the fray.

The CPI(M) heads the LDF in which the Communist Party of India, Revolutionary Socialist Party, Janata Dal(S), Kerala Congress (Joseph), Nationalist Congress Party, Congress (S) and Kerala Congress (Secular) are the other partners.

In the UDF fold, apart from the Congress, there are the Indian Union Muslim League, Kerala Congress (M), the Janathipathya Samrakshana Samiti, Communist Marxist Party, RSP(B) and Kerala Congress (B).

DIC(K), founded by veteran leader K Karunakaran, is having a seat-sharing pact with the UDF.

Kerala went to the polls in three phases -- on April 22, 29 and May three. There were 21.48 million voters, including 11.14 million women, in the 14 districts of Kerala. In the previous elections, the UDF had won 100 seats, leaving the remaining 40 to the LDF.

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