Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 8 (IANS) A total of 36,630 candidates are contesting in the first phase of the Kerala local body polls, including 17,056 men, 19,573 women and one transgender candidate, underlining the strong participation of women in grassroots democracy.

The contest includes 27,141 candidates for gram panchayats, 3,366 for block panchayats, 594 for district panchayats, 4,480 for municipal wards and 1,049 for corporation wards.

Voting for the first phase of Kerala’s local body elections will take place on Tuesday with polling taking place from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. across 595 local self-government institutions in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki and Ernakulam districts.

The exercise will determine representatives to 11,168 wards, marking the opening round of a closely-watched two-phase civic election.

The phase covers 471 gram panchayats, 75 block panchayats, seven district panchayats, 39 municipalities and three municipal corporations.

According to official figures, 13,283,789 voters are eligible to cast their ballots today.

This includes 6.25 million men, 7.03 million women and 126 transgender voters, reflecting the state’s broad-based electorate.

The rolls also feature 456 migrant voters.

Panchayat areas account for the bulk of the electorate with over 10.14 million voters, followed by 1.55 million in municipalities and 1.57 million in corporations.

Polling arrangements have been made across 15,432 booths, of which 480 have been identified as sensitive.

Election officials have readied 15,432 control units and 40,261 ballot units for voting, with an additional 2,516 control units and 6,501 ballot units kept in reserve to handle contingencies.

State Election Commissioner A. Shahjahan has directed political parties and candidates to cooperate with election officials to ensure smooth and transparent polling in the local body elections.

“An environment must be ensured in which voters can cast their votes freely and fearlessly,” said Shahjahan.

The second phase of polling is scheduled for Thursday, and the counting of votes and declaration of results will take place on December 13.

The civic elections are being closely watched as a key test of the political mood in the state ahead of the next Assembly election, with all major fronts viewing the outcome as a crucial indicator of grassroots support.

–IANS

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