Nearly 50 pc Voter Turnout Recorded By 1 pm 'Kerala Polls'

Brisk voting was witnessed on Thursday to the elections to 140 Assembly segments in Kerala with 50 per cent of the voters casting their votes by 1 pm, the EC said. 

The crucial elections will decide whether the ruling LDF will get a straight third term, or if the UDF makes a comeback, or if BJP springs a surprise in an otherwise bipolar battle. 

According to Election Commission (EC) figures, by 1 pm, 49.70 per cent of the 2.71 crore voters had cast



their vote.

The ruling LDF is fighting to retain power, banking on Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's model of governance and welfare. 

The Congress-led UDF is vying to regain power, seeking to end a decade of Left rule in the state.

Amidst this traditionally bipolar contest, the BJP-led NDA is looking to disrupt the duopoly of LDF and UDF and aims to translate its growing vote share into a decisive presence in the state assembly.