"All preparations have been made": Kerala State Election Commissioner A Shajahan on local body elections

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], December 7 (ANI): The Kerala State Election Commissioner, A Shajahan, on Sunday announced that the state is gearing up for its local body elections, with polling scheduled from December 9 to 11 and counting on December 13.
Shajahan divulged that 75,643 candidates are contesting for 23,576 wards across the state. The election process is being conducted in two phases: 11,168 wards in the first phase and 12,408 in the second. All necessary preparations have been made, including the distribution of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and polling materials.
"The polling will happen from 9th December and 11th December, and counting will happen on 13th December. We have a total of 11,168 wards in the first phase and 12,408 wards in the second phase going for poll... 75,643 candidates are contesting this time for the local body wards... All the preparations have been made, and all the polling stations have been arranged," he said.
Emphasising the preparations, he said that the distribution of EVMs and polling material will begin on Monday. "Distribution of EVMs and polling materials will start tomorrow...," he said.
Shajahan emphasised the importance of the Anti-Defection Act, warning candidates that if found guilty of defection, they will face disqualification from their local body membership and be barred from contesting elections for the next six years.
"We have the system of the Anti-Defection Act... If any defection is proved, the candidate will be disqualified from their membership of the respective local body, and they cannot contest elections for the next 6 years..." he added.
Elections are to be held in 1199 of the total 1200 local bodies in Kerala. Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has extended the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) schedule for Kerala by one week in view of the upcoming local body polls in the state.
According to the ECI, the new enumeration period in the state has been extended till December 18, pushing it back from the earlier date of December 11. The draft electoral roll will be published by December 23, after which claims and objections can be filed till January 22, 2026.
The final electoral roll will now be published on February 21, 2026, instead of February 14, 2026. (ANI)