Thiruvananthapuram, 29 Sept (H.S.):Votes will be counted from 10 a.m. on Tuesday in bypolls to 38 local body wards across 12 Kerala districts. Kollam and Alappuzha are the only districts where no seats went to the polls. A total of 126 candidates contested.

Both the ruling UDF and the opposition LDF have presented the results as an early measure of public opinion on the government led by Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan. The campaign focused on the administration’s first months in office and the opposition’s criticism of its decisions.

The LDF raised issues including power restrictions, ministers’ foreign trips and controversies surrounding the Chief Minister’s air travel. The UDF highlighted the Priyadarshini scheme, an increase in the honorarium for ASHA workers and its development programmes.

The outcome is unlikely to alter the state’s political balance directly. The rival fronts are nevertheless expected to read it as the first electoral signal since the Assembly election.

The bypolls covered three district panchayat divisions, two corporation wards, three municipality wards, seven block panchayat wards and 23 grama panchayat wards. Closely watched contests include Ayyappankavu in Kochi Corporation and Kuttichira in Kozhikode Corporation, along with the Kallara, Thrikkodithanam and Pallassana district panchayat divisions in Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam and Palakkad respectively.

The Kuttichira vacancy arose after Fathima Thahliya was elected to the Assembly. Farzeena Arakkal contested for the UDF and Jamsheena T.P. for the LDF. The BJP fielded K. Jiji, while two independents were also in the fray. Voting in the ward took place at eight booths across three polling stations.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman