The Election Commission of India has announced that polling for the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections will be held on April 9, with counting of votes scheduled for May 4.
The schedule was announced in New Delhi by Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners S. S. Sandhu and Vivek Joshi on Sunday, March 15.
According to the election timetable, the poll process will begin with the gazette notification on March 16. The last date for filing nominations is March 23, while scrutiny of nomination papers will be conducted on March 24. Candidates will be allowed to withdraw nominations until March 26, after which the final list of candidates will be published.
Polling will take place across all 140 Assembly constituencies in Kerala, with counting of votes scheduled for May 4.
The Election Commission said Kerala has around 2.70 crore registered voters, including 1.31 crore male voters, 1.38 crore female voters, and 277 transgender voters.
To ensure smooth conduct of the elections across poll-bound states and a Union Territory, the commission will deploy nearly 25 lakh election personnel, including polling staff, security officials, observers, and counting staff.
With the announcement of the schedule, the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) has come into immediate effect. This restricts the state government from announcing new welfare schemes, financial grants, or major policy decisions that could influence voters.
The tenure of the current Kerala Legislative Assembly will end on May 23, 2026.
In the 2021 Assembly election, the Left Democratic Front led by Communist Party of India (Marxist) retained power by winning 99 out of 140 seats. The United Democratic Front, led by Indian National Congress, secured 41 seats.
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance is also hoping to expand its presence in the state after limited success in previous elections.
