Local body polls to be held on December 9, 11, code of conduct comes into effect

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The dates for the polls to 1199 local bodies have been announced. The elections will be held on December 9 and 11. The polling will be from 7 am to 6 pm. The model code of conduct has come into effect. The polls in Mattanur will be held later. However, state election commissioner M Shajahan said the code of conduct is applicable here also.

The first phase of polling will be from Thiruvananthapuram to Ernakulam. The second phase will be from Thrissur to Kasaragod. The votes will be counted on December 13. The election will be held by following the green protocol.

The commissioner said the candidates can spend a maximum of Rs 25,000 in the grama panchayat. The candidates can spend Rs 75,000 in the block panchayat and Rs 1.5 lakh in the district panchayat and corporation. If they spend more than the limit, the candidates will be disqualified for five years. He also directed to avoid campaigning based on caste and religion.

The elections are being held in a total of 23,576 wards. There are 33,746 polling stations. There are more than two crore eighty lakh voters. There are 2,841 non-resident voters. Webcasting will be introduced. The misuse of AI will be blocked. Fake news will be prevented. The election commissioner also directed that more security be provided in sensitive booths.

The Left, Right Fronts and the BJP are working hard to take control of more local bodies this time. The Congress was the first to announce candidates with the aim of capturing the corporation. The UDF has fielded former MLA Sabarinath. The Congress is trying to restore its lost glory in the corporation and take control of the administration. The party has already announced 63 candidates.

The BJP has already announced 67 candidates. The BJP is fielding a large number of experienced candidates in the capital city, including former DGP R Sreelekha, Padmini Thomas from the sports sector, and leaders V V Rajesh and Karamana Ajith. Although the candidates have not been announced, it is reported that the Left will also field strong district leaders.