Kerala local body elections 2025: Lowest voter turnout in 15 years
Thiruvananthapuram: With polling completed across seven more districts, Kerala’s local body elections have concluded. The results will be announced on Saturday. This election recorded the lowest voter turnout in the past 15 years. Out of a total of 2.86 crore eligible voters, 2.11 crore people cast their votes, marking a polling percentage of 73.69%. This is lower than the 75.95% recorded during the 2020 elections held amid COVID-19 social distancing measures. Final figures may see minor changes.
More women voted than men
Among those who voted, 1.13 crore were women and 98.15 lakh were men. The turnout rate among women was 74.51%, while it was 72.67% for men. Compared to the last election, 2.99 lakh more women voted, whereas the number of male voters dropped by around 2.25 lakh.
In 2020, 1,00,41,055 men had voted. Among the transgender voters, 116 out of 287 cast their votes.
While the reduced turnout may be disappointing, political fronts do not expect it to impact the chances of winning much. Voting took place in 1,199 local bodies.
Lower turnout in the south, higher in the north
In the first phase of voting held on December 9 across seven districts, turnout was generally lower, with an average of 70.91%.
The second phase, conducted on Thursday in Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod, saw slightly higher turnout in northern districts compared to southern ones. Compared to the previous election, northern districts recorded a slight dip; the average turnout was 76.08%, down from 77.89% in 2020.
Among districts, Pathanamthitta recorded the lowest turnout at 66.78%, while Wayanad maintained the highest at 78.3%.
Corporation turnout
Among urban local bodies, Thiruvananthapuram Corporation recorded the lowest voter turnout at 58.29%, while Kannur Corporation had the highest at 70.32%.
In Kochi, turnout rose slightly; Kozhikode turnout remained nearly the same as the previous election at 69.55%. Other major city corporations recorded: Kollam 63.35%, Kochi 62.44% and Thrissur 62.45%.