Thiruvananthapuram: The first phase of the local body elections in Kerala recorded a strong voter turnout with polling closing at an estimated 69.5 percent on Tuesday evening. Seven districts including Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki and Ernakulam took part in the first round of voting. Ernakulam district registered one of the highest turnouts by the end of the day, crossing the 70 percent mark according to updated reports. Alappuzha and Idukki also reported higher participation compared to the state average. Election officials confirmed that polling remained largely peaceful across the districts, with no major incidents reported.

Voting began at 7 am after mock polling procedures and continued until 6 pm. Long queues were seen across several w

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