Kerala Local Body Polls: Phase 1 Campaign Ends, High Stakes for Assembly 'Semi-Final'

• Campaigning for the first phase of Kerala's local body polls concludes Sunday evening, with voting scheduled for December 9 in seven southern districts.
• The second phase of polling will take place on December 11 in seven other districts, with results for all 1,199 local bodies announced on December 13.
• These local body elections are seen as a "semi-final" ahead of next year's Assembly elections, intensifying political rivalry.
• Major fronts (LDF, UDF, BJP) campaigned on different platforms, with LDF highlighting development, UDF focusing on alleged corruption, and BJP promising infrastructure.
• Controversies like the Sabarimala gold loss case affected LDF, while allegations against an MLA impacted UDF, and infighting troubled BJP.

Why It Matters: Kerala local polls predict state assembly election outcomes.