Polling underway for local bodies at three wards in Kerala

Malappuram (Kerala) [India], January 12 (ANI): The polling began on Monday in the Payimpadam ward of Moothedam gram panchayat in Malappuram district of Kerala.
The Payimpadam ward is the seventh of Moothedam gram panchayat's 17 wards.
The polling station has been set up at Karappuram Crescent UP School. The ward has a total of 991 voters.
The voting will continue until 6 pm.
The election in this ward was postponed following the death of the United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate, Vattath Haseena, three days before the scheduled polling date.
While the panchayat ward election was deferred, voting in the district and block divisions had already been conducted. The counting of votes will be held on January 13.
Earlier, the UDF had won 16 out of the 17 wards in Moothedam Panchayat, while the LDF had secured victory in one ward.
The elections are also being held in the Vizhinjam ward of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation and the Onakkur ward of Pampakuda gram panchayat in Ernakulam district.
Meanwhile, the mayoral elections in Kerala concluded on December 26. Women have assumed leadership in three municipal corporations in Kerala.
UDF councillors V K Minimol, P Indira, and Dr Niji Justin were sworn in as mayors of the Kochi, Kannur, and Thrissur corporations, respectively.
The remaining three corporations, Kollam, Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram, will be headed by men.
In Kollam, UDF councillor A K Hafees took oath as mayor, while LDF councillor O Sadasivan assumed charge as the new mayor of Kozhikode. In Thiruvananthapuram, the BJP scripted history by securing an absolute majority, with VV Rajesh sworn in as mayor.
Addressing the media after his election, VV Rajesh struck a conciliatory note, emphasising inclusive governance and balanced development. "We will move forward, taking everyone along. Development programmes will be implemented by treating all 101 wards equally. Thiruvananthapuram will be transformed into one of the developed cities of the country," he said.
Meanwhile, Pala municipality created history by electing its youngest-ever woman chairperson. Diya Binu Pulikakkandam, who won the local body election as an independent candidate, was elected chairperson with 14 votes. The UDF decided to back Diya after three members of the Pulikakkandam family, Binu Pulikakkandam, his daughter Diya, and his brother Biju, extended support to the front.
Their support proved crucial in the 26-member municipality, where the LDF won 12 seats, the UDF secured 10, and independents won four seats. Following the family's decision to support the UDF, the District Congress Committee leadership offered the chairperson post to Diya for the first two years.
In Kochi, KPCC general secretary and councillor Deepthy Mary Varghese congratulated newly elected mayor V K Minimol, effectively putting an end to the controversy surrounding the mayoral selection.
However, in Thrissur, the mayoral election sparked a row after Congress councillor Lali James alleged that the District Congress Committee had "sold" the mayoral post to Dr Niji Justin. (ANI)