Thiruvananthapuram, April 9
At 6 p.m. on Thursday, the curtain officially fell on what is often hailed as the 'festival of democracy', as polling across Kerala drew to a close.
Yet in several booths, the democratic spirit lingered a little longer, with voters patiently waiting to exercise their franchise even past the deadline.
By and large, the State witnessed an almost incident-free voting process.
At the official close of time, the turnout, according to the Chief Electoral Officer, as tabulated at 5 p.m., stood at 75.01 per cent of the 2.71 crore voters who had cast their votes.
Incidentally, at the 2021 Assembly polls, 75.75 per cent of voters had voted. With queues seen in many booths after 6 p.m., it remains to be seen if the final figure touches 80 per cent. If it happens, it would be the first time since 1987 that the 80 per cent mark is breached.
With voting now behind, the State enters a phase of heightened anticipation.
All eyes are set on May 4, when counting begins at 8 a.m. across centres, and the political fate of Kerala will begin to unravel.
The question that now grips the electorate and political players alike is simple yet decisive: who will hold the key to the State Secretariat for the next five years?
In the days leading up to the verdict, confidence and claims are running high across all three major political fronts.
The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and steered organisationally by party secretary M. V. Govindan, has exuded optimism.
Both leaders have asserted that the front will improve upon its current tally of 99 seats in the 140-member Assembly, a claim that, if realised, would mark a significant consolidation of power.
The Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF), however, has dismissed these projections outright.
Veteran Congress leader A. K. Antony, along with the party's current leadership, including V. D. Satheesan, Ramesh Chennithala, State president Sunny Joseph, and his predecessor K. Sudhakaran, have projected a sweeping comeback.
Their collective assertion is bold; the UDF is poised to cross the 100-seat mark, signalling what they describe as a decisive mandate for change.
Adding a third dimension to the contest, the Bharatiya Janata Party has put forth a markedly different forecast.
State president Rajeev Chandrasekhar has predicted a hung Assembly, a scenario that, if it unfolds, could dramatically alter Kerala's traditionally bipolar political landscape.
His projection gains intrigue given the BJP's limited electoral footprint in the State, having secured a solitary seat in 2016, which it failed to retain in 2021.
For now, these claims remain in the realm of political rhetoric, as Kerala enters a quiet yet tense interlude.
By noon on counting day, the numbers will replace narratives, and the verdict of 2.71 crore voters will stand revealed, clear, conclusive, and impossible to contest.
Until then, Kerala waits.
- IANS
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