Kerala Local Body Elections Phase 2 Begins In 7 Districts; Nearly 39,000 Candidates In Fray

The second phase of polling for Kerala's local body elections is set to take place on Thursday across seven districts, with voting scheduled from 7 am to 6 pm. A total of 38,994 candidates are in the fray for this phase of the Kerala municipal elections 2025, while Phase 1 recorded a voter turnout of 70 per cent.

On Wednesday, candidates engaged in silent door-to-door outreach as part of their final efforts to persuade voters. In this phase, more than 1.53 crore voters will select representatives for 12,931 wards across 604 local bodies, which include grama panchayats, block panchayats, district panchayats, municipalities, and corporations.

The State Election Commission has arranged 18,274 polling stations for Phase 2, with 2,055 of them designated as sensitive. Kannur district has the highest number of sensitive booths at 1,025, while Thrissur has the lowest with 81.

To ensure smooth polling, the commission has deployed additional police forces and set up webcasting facilities at all sensitive booths. Mock polling was conducted ahead of voting to review and test the systems and mechanisms in place.

Districts Voting in Phase 2

The elections in this phase will be held in the districts of Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur, and Kasaragod.

The local bodies involved include 470 gram panchayats, 77 block panchayats, seven district panchayats, 47 municipalities, and three corporations.

Security arrangements have been strengthened, with control rooms set up at district collectorates and the commission headquarters to monitor voting. Oversight by district police chiefs and city police commissioners will help maintain order and ensure a peaceful polling day.