Kerala Assembly elections 2021: Voting date, counting date, opinion poll - all you need to know

Kerala Assembly elections will be held in a single phase on April 6 and the counting of votes will take place on May 2.

The elections will be held amid the coronavirus pandemic in the country. It is to be noted that Kerala is among the seven states witnessing a resurgence of the virus.

Amid COVID-19 pandemic, the voting will take place strictly following the COVID-19 protocols issued by the Union Health Ministry. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has said that the officials inside polling booths will wear masks, face shields, and gloves and use hand sanitisers.

Previously, India had conducted the Bihar assembly elections, Greater Hyderabad Municipal elections, Karnataka gram panchayat elections and several by-polls in Madhya Pradesh, elections for municipal corporations and other states successfully amid the pandemic.

How many Assembly constituencies are there in Kerala?

The Kerala Legislative Assembly consists of 140 Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs), elected from single-seat constituencies, with five years term, unless dissolved. Meanwhile, minimum 71 seats are required for a party or a coalition to stake claim for the formation of the government.

Kerala Assembly elections 2021: Opinion poll

In Kerala, the fight between the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF) is escalating. But, according to opinion poll released by Times Now-CVoter, the ruling LDF will manage to retain power in the state.

The opinion poll said that Pinarayi Vijayan-led alliance will win 77 seats in the 140-member assembly, down from its tally of 91 in 2016.

The Congress-led UDF is projected to win 62 seats, gaining seats since the last tracker to make it a keenly contested affair. Meanwhile, the BJP is projected to win just a single seat, as it did in 2016.

Parties and alliances:

For almost four decades now, Kerala has voted the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and United Democratic Front (UDF) to power alternately.

Kerala is currently ruled by the Left Democratic Front (LDF), which is led by the Communist Party of India(Marxist) or CPI(M). Apart from the CPI-M, the alliance includes the Communist Party of India (CPI), Kerala Congress (M), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Janata Dal (Secular), Indian National League and various other regional parties.

While United Democratic Front (UDF), an alliance of centre to centre-left political parties, is founded by Congress leader K Karunakaran in 1978. Apart from the Congress, the alliance includes Indian Union Muslim League, Kerala Congress, Revolutionary Socialist Party, Forward Bloc and other smaller parties.

Meanwhile, National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is an alliance of centre to right-wing parties. The Kerala unit of the coalition comprises Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Bharath Dharma Jana Sena and a number of smaller parties.