In view of the upcoming local body elections in Kerala, the State Election Commission has directed that employees working in private establishments must be granted paid leave on polling days to enable them to cast their votes.

The statement, issued under Section 145A of the Kerala Panchayat Raj Act, 1994, and Section 202A of the Kerala Municipality Act, 1994, states that employers cannot deduct wages or deny salary on account of this leave.

Polling for the 2025 elections to Local Self-Government Institutions will be held on:
December 9 — Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki and Ernakulam.
December 11 — Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod.

The Commission has made it mandatory for private commercial, industrial, trade and other establishments to provide paid leave to eligible voters in these districts on the respective days. If doing so could lead to severe operational losses or risks, employers must instead obtain special permission to facilitate voting.

The communiqué also instructs that voters working outside their home districts be granted special leave to travel to their respective polling booths to vote.

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