244 counting centres for Kerala local body polls

The same suspense that sweeps through the crowd during Kudamattom at Thrissur Pooram—that anticipation of what comes next—now grips the city’s politics. Will there be a change of guard at the Thrissur Corporation in the upcoming local polls?

Thrissur, long dubbed the “glamour Corporation” of Kerala politics, is expected to witness a fierce contest among the Left Democratic Front (LDF), United Democratic Front (UDF), and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) — each determined to claim control. After delimitation, the Corporation has expanded from 55 to 56 divisions and the Mayor post is reserved for women in the upcoming election.

For the past five years, the LDF held the reins of the Corporation with the backing of Mayor M.K. Varghese, a Congress rebel. In the 2020 elections, the BJP clinched six of the 55 divisions, with the remaining split evenly between the LDF and the UDF with 24 seats each, leaving out one seat. That deadlock turned Mr. Varghese, the lone Independent, into the ultimate kingmaker.