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Security has been tightened outside the Mar Ivanios College campus in Thiruvananthapuram as counting for the Keralam Assembly Elections 2026 is set to begin shortly.
Visuals from the counting centre showed Election Commission officials and party workers arriving early, with elaborate arrangements in place for counting votes of all constituencies in the district. Counting for all 140 Assembly seats will commence at 8 am, starting with postal ballots, followed by EVM counting from 8:30 am. Authorities confirmed that round-wise updates will be available in real time on the ECINET platform and the Election Commission portal. Notably, the state recorded a voter turnout of 78.27 per cent in the single-phase polling held on April 9. According to official data, postal votes polled across the Thiruvananthapuram district include Varkala (2,884), Attingal (3,977), Chirayinkeezhu (2,976), Nedumangad (3,926), Vamanapuram (3,807), Kazhakkoottam (2,437), Vattiyoorkavu (2,734), Thiruvananthapuram (1,916), Nemom (2,511), Aruvikkara (3,676), Parassala (3,448), Kattakkada (3,531), Kovalam (3,065), and Neyyattinkara (3,998), indicating strong participation in early voting. Ahead of counting, BJP candidate from Kazhakootam, V Muraleedharan, expressed confidence in a positive mandate. He said the party highlighted the "politics of performance" under Narendra Modi and pitched for a development-oriented Kerala. "I am hopeful that there will be a verdict in favour of the NDA-BJP," he told ANI. On the other hand, Congress MP Jebi Mather exuded confidence in a decisive win for the United Democratic Front (UDF). She asserted that the people of Kerala have chosen change and said the Chief Minister would be from the Congress, to be decided by party leadership and MLAs. Exit polls largely favour the Congress-led UDF, with projections ranging between 72 and 90 seats, while the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) is expected to secure 49 to 62 seats. The BJP-led NDA is projected to win a marginal share. The LDF had scripted history in 2021 by winning consecutive terms, breaking Keralam's trend of alternating governments. The counting in Keralam is part of a larger electoral exercise across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam and Puducherry. As results unfold, all eyes remain on whether Keralam will witness another shift in its political cycle in favour of UDF or will LDF create history once again by winning a third consecutive term. (ANI)
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