As counting is underway for the high-stakes Kerala local body elections, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has secured a clear lead in the Thiruvananthapuram corporation, giving a huge setback to the ruling LDF.
The NDA had emerged as the runner-up in the capital city in the 2020 elections.
As per the latest trends, out of the six corporations in the state, the Congress-led UDF was surging ahead in four, while the Left Front, which had won five corporations in 2020, was leading only in Kozhikode.
In the 2020 elections, the UDF managed to grab power only in Kannur Corporation.
The latest trends showed that the UDF was leading in 41 municipalities, while the LDF was ahead in 31. The NDA was leading in three municipalities.
In the elections to block panchayats, however, the ruling front has shown a decent performance, leading in 66—six ahead of the opposition bloc—while the NDA was leading in two.
Among gram panchayats, the LDF was leading in 885, the UDF in 709 and the NDA in 216.
The counting, which began at 8 am, is underway in 244 centres and 14 district collectorates. Initially, the postal ballots were counted, and then the EVM votes were taken up.
There were some issues at a few counting centres, including Thiruvananthapuram, Palakkad and Vadakara, over giving entry to booth agents and candidates.
