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Kannur and Kasaragod district administrations have made elaborate arrangements for the Assembly elections, combining high voter mobilisation efforts with tight security.
Kannur, with over 21.76 lakh voters, has set a target of 85% turnout, building on its consistent performance above the State average. District Collector and District Election Officer Arun K. Vijayan said all preparations were in place with 2,183 polling stations and 10,488 personnel deployed. Women voters (11.24 lakh) outnumber men (10.52 lakh) in the district. As many as 11 transgender voters have been enrolled.
In Kasaragod, District Collector and District Election Officer Arjun Pandyan said the district was fully prepared with 11.03 lakh voters across five constituencies and 1,141 polling stations. Of the total electorate, 5.59 lakh are women and 5.44 lakh are men, while 12 are transgender voters. A total of 32 candidates are in the fray, with Manjeswaram recording the highest number of candidates.
The authorities said polling staff deployment had been completed, including over 5,500 personnel in Kasaragod and more than 10,000 in Kannur, with adequate reserves. Special polling arrangements include pink booths managed entirely by women and model polling stations in each constituency. Facilities such as a ramp, drinking water, power supply, and feeding rooms have been ensured alongside wheelchair access and dedicated staff for persons with disabilities.
Security has been significantly strengthened in both districts. Kannur has over 6,000 police personnel deployed, including Central forces and 20 companies, with special focus on 771 vulnerable booths monitored by 493 micro-observers. Kasaragod has 1,992 police personnel and 16 companies of Central forces supported by quick response teams and route marches.
Webcasting has been arranged in all polling booths in both districts, enabling real-time monitoring from control rooms. Kannur alone has installed around 4,800 cameras across booths, while Kasaragod will stream polling proceedings from start to finish.
Home voting has seen strong participation. In Kasaragod, 6,679 voters, primarily senior citizens above 85 years of age, and persons with disabilities, cast their votes, recording 98.11% turnout. Kannur reported 97% turnout among 18,756 home voters and 96.69% among essential service voters.
Polling materials will be distributed on April 8 across designated centres in both districts, with sufficient reserve electronic voting machines (EVMs) and voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) units arranged. Strict enforcement of the model code of conduct is in place, with thousands of violations addressed, including the removal of over 42,000 illegal campaign materials in Kannur alone.
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