Thiruvananthapuram, April 9:<\/em> The polling process across the State was largely peaceful, with no major incidents reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to data released by the Chief Electoral Officer, voter turnout stood at 75.01 per cent<\/strong> as of 5 p.m., out of the State\u2019s 2.71 crore registered voters. With many voters still in queues after the deadline, the final turnout figure is expected to rise further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In comparison, the 2021 Assembly elections recorded a turnout of 75.75 per cent. If the final figure approaches or crosses 80 per cent<\/strong>, it would mark the first time since 1987 that such a high participation level has been achieved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With polling now complete, Kerala moves into a phase of political anticipation. Counting of votes will take place on May 4<\/strong>, beginning at 8 a.m., when the electoral verdict will start to unfold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The central question remains: who will form the next government in Kerala?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF)<\/strong>, led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, has expressed strong confidence. Party leadership has projected an improvement over its current tally of 99 seats in the 140-member Assembly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The opposition United Democratic Front (UDF)<\/strong> has, however, dismissed these claims. Senior Congress leaders, including A. K. Antony and Leader of Opposition V. D. Satheesan, have predicted a decisive comeback, asserting that the UDF will cross the 100-seat mark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)<\/strong> has offered a contrasting forecast. State president Rajeev Chandrasekhar has predicted a hung Assembly<\/strong>, a scenario that could significantly reshape Kerala\u2019s traditionally bipolar political contest. The BJP, which won one seat in 2016 but failed to retain it in 2021, is aiming to expand its presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For now, these projections remain speculative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By the afternoon of counting day, electoral numbers will replace political narratives, delivering a clear and decisive mandate from the people of Kerala.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Until then, the State waits.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Thiruvananthapuram, April 9:Polling in Kerala concluded at 6 p.m. on Thursday, marking the end of what is often described as the \u201cfestival of democracy.\u201d However, in several polling stations, voting continued beyond the official closing time, as long queues of voters waited patiently to exercise their franchise. The polling process across the State was largely […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27411","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-national","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"\n
Polling in Kerala concluded at 6 p.m. on Thursday, marking the end of what is often described as the \u201cfestival of democracy.\u201d However, in several polling stations, voting continued beyond the official closing time, as long queues of voters waited patiently to exercise their franchise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n