<p>Elections to the 1,199 local bodies in Kerala will be held in three-phases from December 8 to 14.</p>.<p>With hardly five months for the Assembly polls to happen, the local body elections could be considered as a run-up to the Assembly polls.</p>.<p>As many as 21,865 wards will be going to the polls. Election in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, and Idukki district will be held on December 8, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad and Wayanad on December 10 and Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur, and Kasargod on December 14. Counting will be on December 16.</p>.<p>Kerala State Election Commission V Bhaskaran announced the election schedule on Friday.</p>.<p>The term of the existing councils is ending on November 11. Owing to the Covid-19 scenario the polls were postponed. The polls would be conducted under strict COVID norms in campaigning to polling. Postal voting facilities would be offered to Covid-infected voters.</p>.<p>Already all political parties have almost finalised candidates for many wards and even posters and banners have also started coming up. Though the left front generally used to get an upper hand in the local body elections, this time it is very crucial for the left front as the CPM-led government in the state, as well as the CPM leadership, were facing major allegations pertaining to nexus with gold smuggling and drug peddling rackets. The trends in the local bodies may have an impact on the Assembly polls.</p>.<p>Meanwhile, the CPM has decided to unleash a strong campaign that the BJP was misusing central agencies against the left front for political gains.</p>.<p>The BJP had noticeably improved its position at many local bodies in Kerala, especially Thiruvananthapuram corporation, in 2015 local body polls. Hence the saffron party is pinning high hopes this time. But the worsening factionalism in BJP in the state is a cause for concern for the party.</p>.<p>The Congress is pinning high hopes that the anti-incumbency factor against the left-front government would help them gain in the local body elections.</p>
<p>Elections to the 1,199 local bodies in Kerala will be held in three-phases from December 8 to 14.</p>.<p>With hardly five months for the Assembly polls to happen, the local body elections could be considered as a run-up to the Assembly polls.</p>.<p>As many as 21,865 wards will be going to the polls. Election in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, and Idukki district will be held on December 8, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad and Wayanad on December 10 and Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur, and Kasargod on December 14. Counting will be on December 16.</p>.<p>Kerala State Election Commission V Bhaskaran announced the election schedule on Friday.</p>.<p>The term of the existing councils is ending on November 11. Owing to the Covid-19 scenario the polls were postponed. The polls would be conducted under strict COVID norms in campaigning to polling. Postal voting facilities would be offered to Covid-infected voters.</p>.<p>Already all political parties have almost finalised candidates for many wards and even posters and banners have also started coming up. Though the left front generally used to get an upper hand in the local body elections, this time it is very crucial for the left front as the CPM-led government in the state, as well as the CPM leadership, were facing major allegations pertaining to nexus with gold smuggling and drug peddling rackets. The trends in the local bodies may have an impact on the Assembly polls.</p>.<p>Meanwhile, the CPM has decided to unleash a strong campaign that the BJP was misusing central agencies against the left front for political gains.</p>.<p>The BJP had noticeably improved its position at many local bodies in Kerala, especially Thiruvananthapuram corporation, in 2015 local body polls. Hence the saffron party is pinning high hopes this time. But the worsening factionalism in BJP in the state is a cause for concern for the party.</p>.<p>The Congress is pinning high hopes that the anti-incumbency factor against the left-front government would help them gain in the local body elections.</p>
