Kerala local body elections: 1.55 lakh nominations approved

Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 23 (PTI) As many as 1.55 lakh nominations have been approved by the State Election Commission for the upcoming local body elections in Kerala, according to data released on Sunday.

The figures were published after the scrutiny of nominations was completed on Saturday.

Of the total nominations, 82,020 were filed by women candidates, of which 72,524 were approved. Three nominations from a transgender person were also accepted.

A total of 2,479 nominations were rejected, including 1,354 of women and 1,125 of men.

After scrutiny, the number of approved candidates stands at 1,07,211, comprising 56,501 women, 50,709 men, and one transgender person.

Officials clarified that the difference between the number of approved nominations and approved candidates is due to multiple nominations filed by several individuals.

The final number of candidates will be confirmed after the withdrawal process ends on Monday.

The local body elections in Kerala will be held in two phases on December 9 and 11.

Polling will take place in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Alappuzha, Idukki, and Ernakulam districts on December 9, and in Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Wayanad, Kozhikode, Kannur, and Kasaragod on December 11.

Elections are being held for 17,337 wards in 941 grama panchayats, 2,267 wards in 152 block panchayats, 346 wards in 14 district panchayats, 3,205 wards in 86 municipalities, and 421 wards in six corporations.

Votes will be counted on December 13. PTI TBA SSK