Thiruvananthapuram, April 7 Campaigning for the April 9 Kerala Assembly elections will end on Tuesday evening as the three political alliances, led by the ruling CPI(M), Congress, and BJP, made last-ditch efforts to win over the majority of support from the 2.71 crore voters in the state.
The Election Commission has outlined strict restrictions to be followed during the 48-hour silence period after campaigning ends at 6 pm.
These measures, aimed at ensuring free and fair elections, will come into effect 48 hours before the close of polling, with the aim of enabling voters to exercise their franchise without fear or influence, Kerala Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Dr. Rathan U Kelkar said a day ago.
Organizing or attending public meetings, processions, rallies, musical events, theatrical performances, and other forms of entertainment that could influence voters have been prohibited, a statement issued by the CEO has said.
Furthermore, political advertisements in newspapers on April 8 and 9 will require prior approval from the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC), the EC has said.
The election will determine the fate of the 890 candidates contesting for 140 seats, following a campaign marked by serious accusations of corruption, financial mismanagement, and "deals" between the UDF and LDF against each other, and also by the BJP. The BJP also accused the UDF and LDF of having a secret alliance.
On Tuesday, Congress MLA from Muvattupuzha, Mathew Kuzhalnadan, made a new allegation, accusing the ruling front of causing the 2018 floods to benefit a soil mining company by not opening the spillways of an important dam in Alappuzha in time.
He alleged that similar irregularities in the delayed opening of spillways occurred in connection with other dams in the state.
There has been no immediate reaction from the government to this allegation.
The LDF has accused the Congress of mismanagement of funds collected by the Congress for housing landslide victims in Wayanad.
The massive landslides in 2024 claimed more than 200 lives.
The row over relief funds for housing landslide-hit residents of Wayanad has emerged as a major poll issue, putting the Congress on the defensive.
The CPI(M) has questioned the collection and use of funds, while the Congress's response, presented by its state chief, Sunny Joseph, has drawn criticism and further fueled the controversy.
The CPI(M)-led LDF has also released its progress report in Kannur, with Vijayan claiming that around 97 per cent of the promises made in 2021 had been fulfilled.
The BJP, which has had limited success in polls in Kerala, has alleged that the Congress is functioning under the "remote control" of the Indian Union Muslim League.
It claimed that there was a "political deal" between the two parties, with Congress no longer taking independent decisions and compromising its stance for vote-bank politics.
It has also dismissed any possibility of a BJP-CPI(M) understanding, asserting that it remains the only party "exposing" the Left.
As the poll date neared, top national leaders of the BJP, including Home Minister Amit Shah, and Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, intensified their campaign in the state on Monday.
The ruling LDF's campaign was led by CPI(M) veteran and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Single-phase elections to the 140-seat Kerala Assembly to be held on April 9.