Thiruvananthapuram, 08 April (H.S.): With Kerala set to go to the polls on Thursday, candidates and political leaders made their final efforts to directly reach out to voters as the high-voltage campaign drew to a close. After nearly three weeks of intense political activity across the state, Wednesday marks the silence period, bringing an end to public campaigning.

Candidates across party lines are now focused on last-minute voter engagement, seeking to consolidate support through personal outreach before the mandated campaign halt. The state, which has witnessed a fiercely contested electoral battle, will decide its political future when voting takes place on April 9. The counting of votes is scheduled for May 4.

Polling will be held across all 140 Assembly constituencies in Kerala, with a total of 30,495 polling booths set up to facilitate the electoral process. A total of 883 candidates are in the fray, reflecting a diverse and competitive contest.

Voting will take place from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Authorities have made elaborate arrangements to ensure smooth and secure polling. The total electorate stands at 2,71,96,936, including 53,984 service voters.

The distribution of polling materials will begin on Wednesday morning from 43 designated centres across the state. Around 1.46 lakh polling personnel have been deployed for election duty. Officials have identified 2,040 polling stations as sensitive, where additional security measures will be in place.

Meanwhile, home voting—introduced to facilitate elderly and differently-abled voters—has recorded an impressive 98 per cent completion rate as of Tuesday morning, indicating strong participation even before polling day.

With the campaign curtain falling, Kerala now awaits a decisive verdict in what is widely seen as a tightly contested election.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman