Congress makes gains in Kerala local bodies polls

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - As counting of votes in the Kerala local bodies polls progressed Wednesday, the Congress-led opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) seemed to be making visible gains over the previous elections in 2005.

UDF, which was wiped out in the last polls, has won the Kochi and Thrissur corporations and is in a neck-and-neck fight in the Thiruvananthapuram corporation. Kollam has gone to the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF).

Counting for the Kozhikode corporation will be done Oct 31. During the last polls, all the five corporations in the state were won by the LDF led by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M).

Of the 59 municipalities, UDF is leading in 37 while LDF is ahead in 20, an official said. The UDF is ahead in eight of 14 districts.

At the block level, out of 152 seats, the LDF is ahead in 66 while UDF leads in 57. The LDF is leading in 353 and the UDF in 316 seats out of the 978 gram panchayats.

The results of districts, block and gram panchayats will be out by Wednesday evening.

LDF was in power in 12 of 14 district panchayats, 33 of 53 municipalities, 114 of 152 block panchayats and 688 of 984 gram panchayats.

The first and second phase of polls were held Oct 23 and Oct 25. Electronic voting machines were used in corporations and municipalities, and ballot papers in the gram, block and district panchayat elections.