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The Hindu
20-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Election fever will not grip Mattannur municipality in 2025 also
As in the past, Mattannur municipality in Kannur district will sit out as the rest of Kerala faces the local body elections later this year. This is because the five-year term of the Mattannur municipal council does not coincide with that of the other 1,199 panchayats, municipalities, and corporations in Kerala. The council has two more years left in its term before it faces elections. The State Election Commission, which prepares the electoral rolls and conducts elections to local bodies, noted on Saturday that the term of the Mattannur council would expire only on September 10, 2027. In the case of the other local bodies, new councils have to take over by December 21 this year. One of the 87 municipalities in Kerala, Mattannur's loner status dates back to the 1990s and a political controversy over its elevation to a municipality. The curious case of Mattannur is once again back in the spotlight with the State Election Commission kicking off the process for the 2025 local body elections. The commission is set to publish the draft voters' lists on July 23 ahead of its revision for the polls. The State Delimitation Commission had covered Mattannur also in the Phase 1 of the delimitation exercise which saw the reorganisation of wards in grama panchayats, municipalities, and corporations. The number of wards in the municipality has increased from 35 to 36. However, the draft rolls for the municipality to be published on July 23 will be based on the old ward structure and not on the basis of the delimited wards, State Election Commissioner A. Shajahan said. Elections were last held to the municipality in 2022, whereas all the other local bodies elected new councils in 2020. Although the Left Democratic Front (LDF) retained its traditional grip in Mattannur, it won fewer seats (21) in the 2022 elections, while the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) doubled its tally to 14. The commission said on Saturday that the 2025 elections would be held to 941 grama panchayats, 86 municipalities, six corporations, 152 block panchayats and 14 district panchayats. The E.K. Nayanar-led Left Democratic Front government had elevated Mattannur panchayat to a municipality in 1990. But the United Democratic Front government which came to power in 1991 cancelled this decision. The LDF moved court, and Mattannur remained in limbo for a number of years. When the LDF returned to power in 1996, it upgraded Mattannur to a municipality. Mattannur saw municipal elections for the first time in 1997. The LDF had won all the elections since then.
The Hindu
19-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
2025 local body polls in Kerala: State Election Commission to publish draft electoral rolls on July 23
The State Election Commission will publish the draft electoral rolls ahead of its revision for the 2025 local body elections on July 23. The Commission will accept complaints and suggestions on the draft rolls from July 23 to August 7. New voters can register their names during this period. Those who have turned 18 years of age on or before January 1, 2025, can add their names to the list. The 2025 elections will be conducted to 941 grama panchayats, 86 municipalities, six corporations, 152 block panchayats and 14 district panchayats. State Election Commissioner A. Shajahan, addressing a meeting of political parties here, has sought their support in the preparation of the rolls. Every ward will have at least one polling station, according to the Commission. As per a note issued by the Commission on saturday, there are 30,759 polling stations, including 25,309 in the rural areas and 5,450 in the urban areas of the State. But this number may undergo changes based on the voter population after the summary revision of the electoral rolls. The first-level checks on the electronic voting machines (EVM) that will be used for the elections will kick off on July 25 and get completed by August 25. The Commission has rearranged the population in terms of the ward reorganisation carried out under the ward delimitation in the State's local bodies.
The Hindu
18-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Local body polls: State Election Commission to hold meeting of political parties on Saturday
With the delimitation of local body wards entering the final phase in Kerala, the State Election Commission is in the process of revising the electoral rolls ahead of the crucial elections to local bodies planned towards the end of 2025. The commission, tasked with the preparation of electoral rolls and the conduct of elections to local bodies, will publish the draft rolls which is being updated by repositioning the population on the basis of the delimited wards and reorgansied polling booths, commission officials said. The commission headed by A. Shajahan is convening a meeting of political parties in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday in connection with the revision of the rolls. The State Delimitation Commission is hoping to wind up the delimitation process by the middle of August. Launched last year, the mammoth exercise is in the third and final phase, where the wards of the district panchayats are being reorganised. The number of polling booths is also expected to see a revision following the delimitation. The Opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) has petitioned the State Election Commission to reorganise the per-booth voter numbers from 1,300 to 1,100 in panchayats and from 1,600 to 1,300 in municipalities. Through a State government notification last year, the number of wards in grama, block, district panchayats, municipalities, and corporations had been increased from 21,900 to 23,612. The 87 municipalities now have 3,241 wards, the six Corporations 421 wards, and the 941 grama panchayats 17,337 wards. In the 152 block panchayats, the number has been revised to 2,267, and in the 14 district panchayats to 346. In 2020, the elections were held to 1,199 local bodies (except Mattannur municipality) on December 8, 10, and 14. The elections were held in three phases on account of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Hindu
29-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Kerala's Delimitation Commission issues final notification on ward restructuring in municipalities and Corporations
The State Delimitation Commission has issued the final notification on the ward delimitation carried out in the 86 municipalities and six Corporations in Kerala. With this, the first phase of the ward delimitation exercise in local bodies is over. The decision was finalised by the Commission headed by A. Shajahan, who is also the State Election Commissioner. The Kerala government had earlier issued a notification revising the number of wards in the municipalities and Corporations. As per that decision, municipalities should have a minimum of 26 wards and a maximum of 53. In Corporations, it was fixed as, respectively, 56 and 101. Consequently, the number of wards in municipalities have risen by 128 and that in the six Corporations, by seven. The revision was based on the decennial census held in 2011. Now that phase 1 is over, the 941 grama panchayats in Kerala have a total of 17,337 wards, the 87 municipalities have 3241 wards and the six corporations, 421 wards. The final notification on the delimitation can be accessed on the State Printing department's e-gazette website The new voters lists where the electors are reassigned in line with the delimited wards will be prepared by the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs). The State Election Commission, which is tasked with the conduct of elections to local bodies, has issued directions for arranging polling stations to match the changes in voter strength. Block panchayats are covered in phase II of the ward delimitation exercise. The draft notification related to this phase will be issued on May 30. Delimitation Commission members Rathan U. Kelkar, K. Biju, S. Harikishore and K. Vasuki were present at the meeting.
The Hindu
21-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Preparations under way for local body polls later this year
With ward delimitation in local bodies entering Phase II in Kerala, preparations are also under way for the crucial 2025 local body elections scheduled for later this year. The State Election Commission has kicked off training sessions for officials responsible for preparing the electoral rolls and conducting the elections. The Commission is proceeding with the idea of holding the polls during November-December as the five-year terms of 1,199 local bodies expires in December, sources said. As part of the preparations, the Commission will shortly launch the training sessions for the Electoral Registration Officers (ERO). In grama panchayats and municipalities, the local body secretaries are the EROs. In municipal corporations, the post is handled by additional secretaries. Earlier this, year, the Commission had completed the training of State-level resource persons. Once the State Delimitation Commission completes the delimitation of wards, the EROs will need to revise the electoral rolls and reposition the population in line with the changes necessitated by the ward delimitation and voter limits set by the Commission for polling stations. This rearrangement is likely to see an increase in the number of polling stations as the Commission has set a cap of 1,300 voters per station in the rural areas and 1,600 in the urban areas. While the number of local bodies remain unchanged, the wards in the three-tier panchayats, municipalities and corporations have increased from 21,900 to 23,612. The 2025 local body elections will be a keenly-watched one as they will be held after a comprehensive, Statewide ward delimitation, and ahead of the 2026 elections to the Kerala Legislative Assembly. In 2020, the elections were held to 1,199 local bodies (except the Mattannur municipality) in three phases on December 8, 10 and 14 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Delimitation Commission, headed by State Election Commissioner A. Shajahan, on Wednesday issued the final notification on the delimited wards in the grama panchayats. The delimitation exercise has entered Phase II in which the boundaries of the 152 block panchayats are being redrawn. The third and final phase will cover the district panchayats.
