Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 14 (IANS) Polling for more than 6,800 wards in over 350 local bodies across four districts of Kerala was held on Monday in the third and final phase of local body polls, and saw 78 per cent turnout, the highest so far,
All three political fronts have said that they will do well.
Counting of votes will start at 8 a.m on Wednesday, with all the results expected by early evening.
The third phase of polls covered 6,867 wards in 354 local bodies across Malappuram which recorded 78 per cent, Kozhikode 78 too and Kannur and Kasaragod 77 per centeach.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also voted at a polling station in Kannur’s Pinarayi.
Soon after casting his vote, Vijayan, who was accompanied by his family, told the media that they are going to secure a historic win.
“Detractors of ours (the Congress and the BJP) have joined together and with the help of Central agencies have been doing their best to discredit us, but, the people of Kerala have been angry and they are going to vote for us and provide us with a historic win,” he said.
“On 16th, the day of counting of votes will reveal who is the victor, even as attempts to discredit us is going on. On that day, all will know what’s the outcome,” he added.
Reacting to the allegations by the opposition parties that he had violated the poll conduct by announcing on Saturday that the Covid vaccines would be distributed free, Vijayan laughed, quipping that since they have nothing else to say, so they are saying this.
“Kerala is the only state in the country which is providing free Covid treatment and what was said about vaccines was just a follow-up on Covid. I have not violated any rule,” he said.
Soon after casting his vote at his home town in Kozhikode district, State Congress President Mullapally Ramachandran said there was no doubt that they were going to have a crushing win.
“I say this with a lot of conviction because I had the chance to travel to all the 14 districts of the state four times and I can sense the pulse of the people that the vote would be against this Left government, which has lost all its bearings of governance.
“The sense of dejection is seen especially among the new generation, who are educated and after writing tests do not have jobs because this government has made backdoor appointments. We are going to have a crushing victory,” said Ramachandran.
State BJP President K.Surendran, who also cast his vote in Kozhikode, said the BJP will do extremely well and it is just a matter of time to know that.
Of the around 21,000 seats to which elections are being held in the three-phase civic polls, in the last polls in 2015, the CPI-M led with around 55 per cent of the seats, followed by the Congress led-UDF while the BJP had a mere 1200 seats.
–IANS
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