Ordinance to help Covid positive, quarantined to vote in Kerala local polls

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Cabinet led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday gave the nod for floating an ordinance which will tweak the Kerala Panchayati Raj Act to enable those who are Covid positive or in quarantine to cast their vote in the upcoming local body elections.

The polls would be held in three phases on December 8, 10 and 14 and all such people will be able to vote in the final hour on polling day from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Postal votes will be allowed for those who are Covid positive and under quarantine but they will have to apply three days before polling. As on date, the state has 78,694 active Covid cases.

Elections would be held to 1,199 local bodies which include 941 gram panchayats, 152 block panchayats, 14 district panchayats, 86 municipalities and six corporations.

The total electorate stands at 2,71,20,823 which includes 1,29,25,766 males, 1,41,94,825 females and 232 transgenders.