Actor Vijayaraghavan standing in queue to cast his vote at Olassa CMS School in the Aymanam panchayat in Kottayam on Tuesday, accompanied by his family.
| Photo Credit: VISHNU PRATHAP
Kottayam on Tuesday recorded a decline in voter turnout in the local body elections compared to the previous two elections.
According to the provisional data available from the State Election Commission, 70.76% of the voters exercised their franchise in the district at the close of voting at 6 p.m. Of the 16,41,176 voters in the district, 11,61,255 cast their votes. However, the district recorded the lowest polling compared to previous two local body elections held in 2020 and 2015, which saw polling percentages of 73.92% and 78.30% respectively. Despite vigorous campaigning by political parties, voter participation decreased significantly across all municipalities except Erattupetta, which saw a slight increase.
Sister Annamma Joseph, a 90-year-old nun who is confined to wheel-chair, arrives at Vazhappally St. Teresa’s School to cast her vote on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit:
VISHNU PRATHAP
The Erattupetta civic body recorded a polling percentage of 85.71%, up from 85.35% in 2020. Meanwhile, the Changanassery municipality reported the lowest voter turnout at 68.05%. In the Kottayam municipality, where the United Democratic Front (UDF) previously gained power through a draw of lots, the polling percentage was 68.17%.
Among the block panchayats, Vaikom achieved the highest voter turnout at 78.80% and Madappally recorded the lowest at 67.01%.
Ports Minister V.N. Vasavan arriving to cast his vote at MGM School, Pampady.
| Photo Credit:
VISHNU PRATHAP
Polling remained largely peaceful in the district, though the procedures were disrupted for some time in a few polling booths after electronic voting machines (EVMs) developed technical snags. Slight tension was reported in Ward 19 of the Pala municipality when Congress rebel candidate Maya Rahul and her husband, Rahul P R, engaged in a heated argument with some Congress workers. The police intervened promptly to defuse the situation.
Published – December 09, 2025 08:04 pm IST
