Local body elections in two wards stand cancelled

The local body elections in two wards of Kerala stand cancelled following the death of candidates, the State Election Commission informed.

The two wards are 37th ward of Kalamassery municipality in Ernakulam district and 47th ward of Thrissur Corporation.

The development came following the death of candidates Thellayil J Mathew in Kalamassery and MK Mukundan from Pullazhi in Thrissur.

Section 124 of the Kerala Municipality Act requires that the election be cancelled and procedures started afresh if a candidate whose nomination has cleared scrutiny and who has not withdrawn his candidature dies and a report of his death is received before the publication of the list of contesting candidates.

Kerala is set to conduct a three-phase polling to elect people's representatives for more than 1,000 three-tier local self-government bodies in December.

The voting dates are December 8, 10 and 14.

In the first phase, on Dec 8, voting would be held in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha and Idukki districts. 

In the second phase, on Dec 10, it is the turn of Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad and Wayanad districts.

In the last phase, on Dec 14, voting has been scheduled for northern districts Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod. 

Votes can be cast from 7am to 6pm.

On account of the coronavirus pandemic, voters are advised to take all necessary precautions.

Masks and the regular use of sanitizers are mandatory at the voting centres.

The candidates would know their fate at the hustings on December 16.