Thiruvananthapuram (Keralam)

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor cast his vote in the Keralam Assembly elections on Thursday in Thiruvananthapuram, asserting that the electoral battle in the state is primarily between the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF).

Speaking to ANI after exercising his franchise, Tharoor downplayed the Bharatiya Janata Party's role in the state's political landscape. "The BJP is not a factor here. This is a state where the BJP is a zero-seat party in the Assembly. To even mention them in the same breath is an excessive compliment. It is a fight between an incumbent LDF govt and a challenging UDF," he told ANI.

Polling began at 7 am across all 140 constituencies in Keralam, with voters turning out steadily to decide the fate of 883 candidates. According to the Election Commission of India, voter turnout stood at 16.2 per cent till 9 AM.

Senior Congress leader AK Antony also exuded confidence in a UDF victory, predicting a "clean sweep" for the alliance. "People want to send off this present LDF government... UDF will form the government," Antony said after casting his vote in Thiruvananthapuram, while also criticising the BJP as a "non-Kerala" party.

Keralam has over 2.69 crore registered voters, including 1.38 crore women and 1.31 crore men, along with 277 voters in the third gender category. Nearly 4.24 lakh first-time voters aged 18-19 are participating, while over 2 lakh voters are aged above 85.

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To ensure smooth polling, authorities have set up 30,471 polling stations and deployed around 1.46 lakh trained personnel across the state. Security has also been heightened, with over 1,200 police teams active on the ground.

The election is being seen as a high-stakes contest between the incumbent LDF, which is seeking a third consecutive term, and the UDF, aiming for a comeback. Counting of votes is scheduled for May 4.