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Close on the heels of bypoll in the Aruvikkara Assembly segment in Thiruvananthapuram, election to the local bodies will take place in October.
State Election Commissioner K Sasidharan Nair told mediapersons while the exact date had not been finalised yet, he confirmed the elections would be held in October. "The cut-off date for the polls is October as the newly-elected local bodies will have to assume office on Nov 1, 2015. For that to happen, the polls will have to be held in October," said Nair.
Polls are scheduled to be held for 21,682 seats in the three-tier local body structure in the state, and 50 per cent of the seats are reserved for women candidates. Also, elections will be held to 54 municipalities and five corporations.
Ahead of the polls, delimitation of wards will also take place as new wards have been created and those attaining 18 years of age on January 1 are eligible to vote, provided their names exist in the electoral list.
In the 2010 local body elections, the Congress-led United Democratic Front had won more than 50 per cent of the total seats and all eyes are on if they will be able to retain those seats.
This time the election will be so crucial as assembly election should be held by May 2016. Local body election will be a dress rehearsal to the assembly polls and it is crucial to both UDF and Left Democratic Front [LDF] and to BJP.
