Kerala Holds Local Body By-Elections Across 38 Wards
Kerala conducted local body by-elections on September 28 across 38 wards, serving as the first political test for the Congress-led United Democratic Front government.
Kerala held local body by-elections on Monday, September 28, 2026, across 38 wards in 12 districts. The polling, which ran from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., represents the first grassroots political barometer for the government of V.D. Satheesan following the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) victory in the May Assembly elections.
The contest involves 126 candidates competing for the votes of 309,713 eligible voters. The 38 wards include two corporation wards, three municipality wards, three district panchayat divisions, seven block panchayat wards, and 23 grama panchayat wards. Palakkad district recorded the highest competition with 23 candidates contesting across seven wards. Of the total wards, the UDF is defending 22, while the Left Democratic Front (LDF) holds 15.
The elections follow a May verdict that ended a decade of LDF rule under Pinarayi Vijayan. While the UDF campaigned on welfare initiatives such as the Priyadarshini scheme, the LDF and the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) targeted the government over power outages, delays in flood relief assistance, and foreign travel by ministers. Counting is scheduled for Tuesday morning, September 29, with results expected by noon.
