Kerala Local Body Polls: High Court Orders, Security, and Voter Turnout

The Kerala High Court has given important instructions to make sure the local body elections in Kerala go smoothly.

They said that live webcasting should be done in certain polling booths and extra police should be there if needed.

The court also said that candidates and their agents can ask for police protection.

Additionally, videography in polling booths is allowed if someone asks for it.

The elections are happening in two phases on December 9 and 11, and the results will be counted on December 13.

The first phase of the elections had a voter turnout of 70.91%.

The second phase will take place in seven other districts, with increased security measures, including the deployment of RAF units from Bengaluru and Coimbatore.

In Kozhikode district alone, over 7,000 security personnel are on duty.

Kannur district has the highest number of trouble-prone booths, with 5,100 personnel deployed across 1,025 booths, including 50 identified as facing a 'Maoist threat.'

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressed confidence that the Left Democratic Front (LDF) was heading towards a 'historic victory.'

Meanwhile, political fronts exchanged sharp remarks, with the UDF and BJP also predicting victories.

The day was marked by scattered incidents, including malfunctioning voting machines and a bee attack that injured eight people.