Kerala Assembly Elections 2026: Kottayam gears up for polls

Kottayam district is ready for the Assembly elections on April 9, with preparations now complete across all nine constituencies.

District Collector Chethan Kumar Meena said a total of 60 candidates are contesting across the constituencies. The district has 15,05,985 registered voters, including 7,72,587 women, 7,33,385 men, and 13 transgender voters.

A total of 1,791 polling stations have been set up, with the highest number in Poonjar (218) and the lowest in Ettumanur (177). Over 8,600 election officials have been deployed while 56 micro observers will monitor critical polling booths. Poonjar also has the highest number of voters at 1,84,122, while the Kottayam constituency has the lowest at 1,48,745.

All booths are equipped with VVPAT machines, and real-time webcasting will allow the collectorate to monitor voting procedures. Ballot units and control units will be distributed on April 8.

Each constituency features a pink booth run entirely by women officials, while the Velur Anganwadi booth in Kottayam municipality is fully disability-friendly. All polling stations will operate as green booths, minimising plastic use and providing waste collection bins.

Security measures

Extensive measures have been put in place to maintain law and order and ensure the security of polling. Under the supervision of 32 station house officers, two patrolling teams are active, while group patrols will focus on polling booths. Striker forces under DYSPs, along with additional units directly overseen by the District Police Chief, have also been deployed.

A total of 4,577 police personnel are on duty for election security, coordinated by 1,717 special officers under 14 DYSPs, District Police Chief A. Shahul Hameed said.

After polling, voting machines will be transported to collection centres. In four constituencies, counting will take place at the collection centres themselves, while in the remaining five, machines will be moved to strong rooms at the counting centres. Central Armed Police Forces and district police will ensure secure transfers on April 9.

As of April 4, 15,702 voters have cast ballots from home, including 11,636 senior citizens above 85 and 4,066 voters with disabilities. In addition, 1,549 essential service workers have voted via postal ballots.