Bypolls will be held in five local bodies in Ernakulam district along with a few others in the State on Tuesday. The Ernakulam South division of Kochi Corporation, Pishari Kovil and Ilamanathoppu divisions of Thripunithura municipality, Vembili ward of Kunnathunad grama panchayat, Mailoor ward of Varappetty grama panchayat and Athani Town ward of Nedumbassery grama panchayat will go to polls on the day.
Polling will be held between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. and counting of votes will be held on May 18 at 10 a.m.
It was the death of Mini R. Menon, the councillor of Ernakulam South, that necessitated the bypoll in the division. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded Padmaja Menon to retain the seat while the United Democratic Front (UDF) has fielded Anitha Warrier to win back the seat which it had represented in the council for long. S. Aswathi is the Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate in the division.
Though the poll outcome will not have an impact on the civic administration, all the three fronts have taken the poll seriously and had campaigned intensively.
The fronts had also brought in their prominent leaders to the division. While the BJP brought a Union Minister to inaugurate the campaign and actor and MP Suresh Gopi for the road show, Hibi Eden, MP, and Opposition leader V.D. Satheesan were the star campaigners of the UDF. Mayor M. Anilkumar and other leaders were engaged in door-to-door campaign of the LDF.
