The process for election to the three-tier local administration bodies in Kerala formally began on Wednesday with the State Election Commission issuing the notification in this regard. The civic poll, considered as the semi-finals for the Assembly polls to be held in April-May, 2016, will be held in two phases on November 2 and 5.
With the issuance of the notification, filing of nominations for the election to 1,199 local administration bodies began on Wednesday. Nominations can be filed till October 14 and scrutiny of papers will be held on October 15. October 17 will be the last day for withdrawing nominations. The commission had announced the election schedule on October 3.
Preparations for the civic polls by the Congress-led ruling UDF, CPI(M)-led Opposition lDF, BJP, and the other political parties in the State have already reached the final stages. last-round discussions are on in the two fronts and other parties for preparing the lists of candidates to be fielded.
After a meeting of the UDF leadership in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy declared that the civic poll would be a referendum on the performance of his Government. He said the discussions in the UDF on seal-sharing among constituents would be completed by Friday.
“I had said before the (June 27) Assembly by-election in Aruvikkara that it would be a referendum on the Government. And we won that bypoll. Now also, the UDF is fully confident. The basis of that confidence is our unity,” Chandy said. UDF leaders claimed that the front would retain the upper had it had gained in the 2010 civic poll.
Sources in the lDF said that the seat-sharing discussions were in the final stages and that no serious disputes had arisen so far in the front on this. This election is crucial for the lDF as it has to recapture the ground it had lost in the 2010 civic poll in order to go to the Assembly election with confidence.