| Election Name: | 2015 Kerala Local Elections |
| Country: | India |
| Type: | parliamentary |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 2010 Kerala local elections |
| Previous Year: | 2010 |
| Next Election: | 2020 Kerala local elections |
| Next Year: | 2020 |
| Election Date: | 2, 5 November 2015 |
| Seats For Election: | 1199 of 1200 local bodies in Kerala |
| 1Blank: | Grama Panchayat |
| 2Blank: | Block Panchayat |
| 3Blank: | District Panchayat |
| 4Blank: | Municipality |
| 5Blank: | Corporation |
| Turnout: | 77.7% (%) |
| 1Data1: | 549 |
| 2Data1: | 90 |
| 3Data1: | 7 |
| 4Data1: | 44 |
| 5Data1: | 4 |
| Percentage1: | 37.4% |
| 1Data2: | 365 |
| 2Data2: | 61 |
| 3Data2: | 7 |
| 4Data2: | 41 |
| 5Data2: | 2 |
| Percentage2: | 37.2% |
| 1Data3: | 14 |
| 2Data3: | 0 |
| 3Data3: | 0 |
| 4Data3: | 1 |
| 5Data3: | 0 |
| Percentage3: | 13.3% |
Elections to local bodies (Panchayats, Municipalities and Corporations) in Kerala were held in two phrases, on 2 and 5 November 2015.[1] The Left Democratic Front (LDF) won more than half of all gram panchayats and municipalities, and both they and the United Democratic Front (UDF) won majorities in seven out of fourteen district panchayats each. The LDF also won mayorship in four corporations and the UDF in two.[2] [3]
Kerala Panchayat Raj Act, 1994 made provisions for the creation of local bodies at the village, block and district levels. The Kerala Municipalities Act, 1994 made provisions for the creation of municipalities and corporations.[4]
In total, Kerala has 1200 local self-governing bodies941 gram panchayats, 14 district panchayats, 152 block panchayats, 87 municipalities, 77 taluks, and 6 corporations.[5]
There are three major political coalitions in Kerala. The Left Democratic Front (LDF) is the coalition of left wing and far-left parties, led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)). The United Democratic Front (UDF) is the coalition of centrist and centre-left parties led by the Indian National Congress. The National Democratic Alliance is led by the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said the election results would be a verdict on his government. Former Chief Minister A. K. Antony cited that the local body elections were the semifinals to the forthcoming 2016 elections. Allegations of the finance minister of the state K. M. Mani accepting bribes from bar owners was made a focal point of the campaign by opposition parties.[6]
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) forged an alliance with SNDP in a bid to win the Ezhava community votes. UDF had rebel candidates in various panchayats and municipalities.[7] [8] Twenty20, an organisation backed by Kitex Group contested in Kizhakkambalam grama panchayat.[9]
| District | Percentage | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Kasaragod | 77.6 | ||
| 78.9 | |||
| Wayanad | 81.5 | ||
| Kozhikode | 80.1 | ||
| Malappuram | 79.7 | ||
| Palakkad | 78.9 | ||
| Thrissur | 76.5 | ||
| Ernakulam | 78.5 | ||
| Idukki | 79.7 | ||
| Kottayam | 78.3 | ||
| Alappuzha | 79.7 | ||
| Pathanamthitta | 72.5 | ||
| Kollam | 74.9 | ||
| Thriuvananthapuram | 71.9 | ||
| Kerala | 77.8 | ||
| Local Bodies won | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LDF | UDF | NDA | Others | |||
| Gram Panchayats | 549 | 365 | 14 | 13 | 941 | |
| Block Panchayats | 90 | 61 | 0 | 1 | 152 | |
| District Panchayats | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 | |
| Municipalities | 44 | 41 | 1 | 0 | 87 | |
| Corporations | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Wards won | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LDF | UDF | NDA | Others | |||
| Gram Panchayats | 7,623 | 6,324 | 933 | 1,078 | 15,962 | |
| Block Panchayats | 1,088 | 917 | 21 | 53 | 2,076 | |
| District Panchayats | 170 | 145 | 3 | 4 | 331 | |
| Municipalities | 1,263 | 1,318 | 236 | 259 | 3,122 | |
| Corporations | 196 | 143 | 51 | 24 | 414 |
| Corporation | Wards won | Total | Alliance in majority | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LDF | UDF | NDA | Others | |||||
| Thiruvananthapuram | Thiruvananthapuram | 43 | 21 | 35 | 1 | 100 | N/A (LDF won mayorship later) | |
| Kozhikode | Kozhikode | 50 | 18 | 7 | 0 | 75 | LDF | |
| Ernakulam | Kochi | 23 | 38 | 2 | 11 | 74 | UDF | |
| Kollam | Kollam | 36 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 55 | LDF | |
| Thrissur | Thrissur | 23 | 21 | 6 | 5 | 55 | N/A (LDF won mayorship later) | |
| Kannur | Kannur | 26 | 27 | 0 | 2 | 55 | N/A (UDF won mayorship later) | |
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president V. M. Sudheeran said that the results show that the UDF base had not been affected much.[11] BJP state president V. Muraleedharan stated that it was impossible to fight an election in Kerala without taking their alliance into account.[12]
Twenty20 won 17 of 19 seats in Kizhakkambalam gram panchayat, thereby becoming the first corporate-ruled local body in Kerala.[13]
An Indian National Congress candidate for Mananthavady municipality, who was the Congress District Committee secretary, committed suicide after coming in third place.[14]