Kerala’s first phase of local body elections began at 7 am on Tuesday across seven districts: Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki and Ernakulam. The voting ends at 6 pm.

Polling was halted in three wards following the sudden demise of candidates. In Thiruvananthapuram, voting at the Vizhinjam ward was stopped after independent candidate Justin Francis died in a road accident.

In Ernakulam, the death of UDF candidate C S Babu (59) prompted the State Election Commission to cancel polling at Ward 10 in the Onakoor division of the Pampakuda panchayat. In Malappuram, Vattath Haseena (52), the UDF candidate in the Muthedam panchayat, collapsed and died at her residence on Sunday night.

The elections mark a crucial political contest for Kerala, widely seen as the semifinal ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls. The second phase will take place on 11 December, and counting of votes is scheduled for 13 December.

Across the two-phase elections, voters in 1,199 local bodies will cast their ballots. Mattannur Municipality has been excluded as its council’s term continues until 2027. The State Election Commission has set up 33,746 polling stations, including 28,127 in panchayats, 3,604 in municipalities and 2,015 in corporations.