Kerala Assembly Elections 2026: Home voting sees strong response in Kottayam

As many as 15,681 voters in Kottayam district have availed the home voting facility meant for absentee voters.

Across the nine Assembly constituencies in the district, a total of 16,210 people, including senior citizens and those with more than 40% physical disability, had applied to vote under this category. As many as 200 special polling teams, each comprising a micro observer, presiding officer, polling officer, videographer, and police personnel, were deployed for the process.

Assisted by booth level officers (BLOs), these teams visited voters at their homes and ensured that ballots were cast while maintaining complete secrecy. Ballots collected were deposited in designated boxes with the polling teams, and handed over to the respective returning officers on the same day before being shifted to strong rooms.

Constituency-wise figures for home voting suggests that Kaduthuruthy recorded the highest number of home votes at 2,305, closely followed by Pala with 2,204 votes.

Essential services category

Meanwhile, 66.80% turnout has been recorded among essential service voters with 1,124 voters from this category in the district casting their votes out of a total of 1,682 eligible voters. Postal voting for those in essential services will remain open for just two more days, until April 6. Voting is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The essential services category includes personnel from police, fire force, jails, excise, Milma, water authority, KSRTC, treasury services, health services, forest department, and Central government institutions such as All India Radio, Doordarshan, BSNL, Railways and the Postal department. Media personnel authorised by the Election Commission of India (EC) for polling day coverage and Kochi Metro Rail Limited staff are also included.

Officials on election duty can cast their postal votes until April 8. Those who applied through Form 12 can vote at voter facilitation centres set up at training venues in their respective constituencies. Those unable to vote on these days will get another opportunity on April 8 at distribution centres in their constituencies.